Alexander Landowski ’19

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From service in the Navy, to Jesuit training, to his role as Assistant Principal for Student Affairs, Father Jeff Johnson is primed and ready to assume the role of President of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory School in the fall of 2016. “Honored and humbled” were the words used by Father Johnson to describe his feelings about being considered for the position that will allow him to lead a Jesuit institution as a Jesuit priest.

He is excited about leading a Jesuit high school that is trying to follow in the footsteps of Saint Ignatius, but he ponders how to accomplish this goal in 2015 with an enrollment of 1,000 students. “Maybe there are a lot of ways of being an Ignatian and Jesuit that we haven’t thought of yet,” said Father Johnson.

Knowing the issues affecting the school and where its strengths and weaknesses are will prepare him for the tasks of his new position, according to Father Johnson. Whereas his current position is more inwardly focused on issues specifically impacting the students, his new role will have a more outward focus in dealing with the community of Houston by promoting the school, raising awareness for the school, and finding support from members of the community. The aspect of his current job that he will miss most are the relationships that he developed as a member of the principal’s staff.

In having a strong sense of what it means to be a Jesuit school, Father Johnson believes that Strake Jesuit is “already a very good school in a lot of ways”. He sees as his goal making it an even better Jesuit school in forming men for others. He questions, “How do we get every kid trained to be a leader?”

Based on his self-assessment and understanding of the school, Father Johnson’s life experiences will go a long way in bringing success to the task of leading our school.