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A Quarter Century of Lasallian Leadership
Throughout the past 25 years, Jeffrey W. Mancabelli has been the driving force behind St. John’s College High School’s remarkable journey of innovation and growth. With the generous support of SJC’s donors and guidance of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Jeff’s visionary leadership, devotion to the Lasallian mission, and steadfast commitment to SJC’s students, faculty, and alumni not only transformed the school culture, but also set new standards of excellence on Military Road.
In the summer of 1999, Jeff accepted the position of assistant principal of academic affairs, serving with SJC principal, Brother Hal DeLuca, FSC. New to the Lasallian charism, he immersed himself in the teachings of St. John Baptist de La Salle and embraced the core principles with great zeal. Yet, it wasn’t until the school’s Doc Scalessa Golf Tournament later that spring that he knew, “This is it.” Paired in a foursome with two St. John’s legends—Joe Gallagher ’39 and his best friend and classmate Earl Griffin ’39—Jeff heard a collection of stories expressing the love these alumni had for their alma mater and fellow Cadets. He shared, “Through their anecdotes, they showed me that the heart of St. John’s is community.”
By the time he became the school’s first lay principal in 2001, Jeff had a clear vision for St. John’s—to ensure all students “Enter to learn, leave to serve,” by providing the technology, academic and cocurricular programs, outstanding teachers, and spaces that would prepare them to be the innovative servant leaders of tomorrow.
Working closely with mentor and SJC president, Brother Thomas Gerrow, FSC, Jeff identified key areas for growth and innovation, devising a strategic plan for the school’s sustainable success. When he became St. John’s first lay president nine years later, Jeff’s first order of business was to complete a comprehensive master plan, which included a marketing strategy to modernize the school’s brand with a shield logo and new tagline reflecting SJC’s values—opening minds, unlocking talents, building leaders.
Gerrow notes, “Over the years there have been many challenges to Catholic education. As vice principal and later principal, Jeff enhanced the school’s academic program. As president he consistently enlisted the appreciation and support of all SJC stakeholders. In all three positions, Jeff propelled St. John’s to the top rank of private schools in the archdiocese.”
Jeff understood and supported the 21st century educational landscape in which digital innovation empowered students to be active participants in their educational journey. His commitment to integrating cutting-edge technology began in the early years of his tenure as principal and revolutionized the St. John’s student experience. The school was the first in the area to implement a faculty laptop program, wireless campus environment, and cloud-based educational system for parents, teachers, and students. For the first time, parents could access real-time grades and attendance. St. John’s was also the first school in the area to institute a 1:1 iPad pilot program in 2013 and by the following year was an all-iPad school. Every technological step forward was an answer to the question, “How are we responding to the needs of our students today?”
SJC Principal Christopher Themistos shared, “The campus growth under Jeff’s leadership has been immense and always with the central focus of providing the best for our students. He focused on building relationships, growing talents, and allowing students’ faith in God to flourish. Jeff taught this community that we must respond to students’ needs with courage, care, and vigilance. Jeff has always led with mission first as he met students where they are.”
Jeff also enhanced the campus with dining hall, library, clubhouse, football stadium, baseball field, and turf field renovations, as well as the construction of a visual and performing arts center, student center, black box theater, mission and ministry center, student courtyard, performance and leadership center, entrepreneurial center, esports gaming room, TV studio, and new classroom wing. These new facilities provide community-centered spaces that foster creativity, critical-thinking, and teamwork. To fund these improvements, Jeff and the Advancement team completed two capital campaigns and by 2020, doubled the school’s endowment. And as SJC opportunities expanded, so did enrollment. He worked closely with Director of Admissions Susie Hinton to boost enrollment, and by 2024, applications had increased by 31% and enrollment by 28% (275 students).
With an open-door policy and a mindset dedicated to improving all aspects of the school, Jeff fostered an inclusive culture of collaboration—creating an environment where the ideas of students and faculty were nurtured and valued. One of Jeff’s passions is developing new and enhancing existing programs. He designed a comprehensive training institute for new teachers, led the way for interdisciplinary instruction, modernized the science curriculum, and introduced the Kairos retreat program for seniors. But that was just the beginning….
His desire to create a program inspired by the innovation of La Salle that focused on the five Lasallian core principles led to a new four-year, cross-curricular entrepreneurial program located in the new Entrepreneurial Center for Innovation and Social Impact. Through their innovative projects, student-entrepreneurs strive to improve the human condition. Many creative ideas to address the world’s problems were developed in the program and presented in Innovation Hall, the center’s lecture theater.
Jeff also developed a new vision for the Cadet Corps that reinvigorated the program by implementing an updated curriculum and appointing new leadership. The restructured Cadet Corps Leadership Program is built upon four pillars: leadership, cadet culture, character, and health and wellness, and since its 2019 inception, enrollment has tripled and continues to increase each year.
If a student or faculty member wanted to start a club or had an entrepreneurial idea, Mr. Mancabelli was the man to see. He encouraged creative thinking and made himself available to listen to pitches, mentor, and support a wide range of Cadet initiatives—from food composting, honey harvesting, aquatic ecosystem building, and student-led fundraising, to the launching of robotics, esports, and girls’ rugby club teams.
Under Jeff’s stewardship, St. John’s Cadets earned numerous accolades and championships. They marched in the presidential inaugural and Pearl Harbor parades, performed at Carnegie Hall, earned multiple acceptances to the United States service academies and most prestigious colleges in the country, and won many WCAC and DCSSA championships.
Leading by example, Jeff participated with students and faculty at retreats, on Christian service trips, in service-focused clubs, and at off-campus school events. His ability to connect with all people, cultivate an inclusive culture, and inspire a shared Lasallian vision was instrumental to St. John’s success. He has ensured generations of Cadet leaders will continue to carry forward the mission and values of the De La Salle Christian Brothers.
“I’m very proud that throughout the growth of the school and the new levels of success for the students, faculty, and SJC community, we remained focused on the core values of the institution, never losing sight of the people who helped carry the school forward over the last 173 years,” he said.
In the words of the St. John’s student body, “Thank you, Mr. Mancabelli for bringing your A game every day!”
