There are some conversations that leave you thinking long after the recording ends. My recent conversation with Dr. Steve Cheeseman, President and CEO of the National Catholic Educational Association, was one of those conversations.
As I listened to Steve reflect on his decades of service to Catholic education, I found myself returning to John 3:30: “He must increase; I must decrease.” That Scripture captures something I have come to appreciate about authentic Catholic leadership. The work is never ultimately about us. Leadership is about creating the conditions for others to flourish, drawing people into mission, listening deeply, discerning wisely, and helping others recognize the gifts God has placed within them. Throughout our conversation, Steve continually pointed away from himself and toward the good happening in Catholic schools across the country.
Building Bridges of Hope …a conversation with Dr. Steve Cheeseman.
Hope Rediscovered
One of the questions I asked Steve was simple: What fills your bucket? His response centered on hope.
Over the past two years, Steve’s “Bright Lights Tour” has taken him to more than 150 Catholic schools, giving him the opportunity to meet students, educators, school leaders, pastors, and communities serving Catholic education in many different settings. Each school, in its own way, has offered him a reminder of hope renewed and a chance to reconnect with why this vocation matters.
That resonated deeply with me. It can be easy, particularly in leadership, to become consumed by challenges, deadlines, budgets, staffing concerns, enrollment pressures, and the countless decisions that must be made each day. (I call this the “chaos wheel”) Yet when we intentionally train our eyes to look for the good, we begin to notice something else. We see educators who continue to show up for children, leaders who make difficult decisions rooted in mission, families who believe in the promise of Catholic education, and communities that support their schools through prayer, generosity, and service. In the midst of very real challenges, there remain countless reasons for hope.
Opportunity and Access
Our conversation also turned to the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and what it may mean for families, schools, and the broader education landscape. Steve encouraged leaders to look at examples in states such as Florida, Texas, and Ohio and to consider what can become possible when families have greater access to educational choices.
What struck me was that the conversation was not simply about one sector of education. It was about creating opportunities for ALL children to flourish. That is an important lens for leaders to keep at the center. When we discuss policy, funding, governance, access, and sustainability, we are ultimately talking about children, families, and communities. Our responsibility is to ensure that the systems and decisions we build continue to serve that larger purpose.
Listen. Learn. Collaborate. Act.
At the recent Catholic Leadership Summit, Steve introduced the idea of “Hope Renewed” through four important movements: listen, learn, collaborate, and act. What struck me most was his emphasis on developing the habit of synergistic collaboration. Collaboration cannot be something we reserve for conferences, committees, or moments of crisis. It needs to become part of how we work. Catholic education is strengthened when dioceses, schools, universities, associations, pastors, organizations, partners, and leaders recognize that we do not have to solve every challenge independently. We can listen to one another, learn from one another, build together, and then act together in service to the mission we share.
Building Bridges
As we looked ahead to the 2027 NCEA Convention in Indianapolis and its theme, “Bridge Builders,” our conversation became even more reflective. Steve spoke about the importance of remembering the people who are already standing on the bridge. Some may need encouragement to keep moving forward. Others may need someone to walk beside them, reassurance that they belong, or simply the reminder that they are not alone.
That image resonates with me because leadership is not simply about constructing the bridge but it is also about accompanying people across it. In Catholic education, that means creating schools and organizations where people experience trust, belonging, mission, and support. It means building and sustaining school environments where students can flourish, educators can thrive, and families can feel welcomed into the life of the community. It also requires the courage to invite many voices to the table, listen carefully, and trust the people we have been called to serve alongside.
A Reminder for the Journey
Steve offered a reminder that I believe many Catholic educators and leaders need to hear… it is easy to lose steam along the way. The work can be demanding, leadership can feel heavy, and service can sometimes become exhausting. Yet we are not in this vocation alone. Lean on the Holy Spirit and lean on one another. That may be one of the most important messages I took from our entire conversation. Catholic education is a shared mission, and we need one another. We need spaces where we can listen, learn, pray, collaborate, encourage, and remind one another why this work matters, particularly during the seasons when the demands of leadership can make it difficult to see beyond what is directly in front of us.
After nearly three decades of attending NCEA gatherings and serving Catholic education in many different roles, I remain deeply grateful for the people who continue to answer this call. There is still much work to do, but there is also so much good, so much possibility, and so many reasons for hope.
Thank you, Dr. Steve Cheeseman, for your decades of service to Catholic education and for continuing to build bridges that strengthen our Catholic education community. I look forward to continuing the conversation, and I hope to see many friends in Indianapolis for the 2027 NCEA Convention.
We can do more for those we are called to serve when we do it together!
Please join the conversation on the Sharing the Good with Dr. Denise Ball podcast, available on YouTube and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcasts.
May we continue to seek knowledge in all things,
Denise
