Tom Monaghan

Founder and Chancellor

Thomas Monaghan is the founder, chancellor and chairman of the board of directors for Ave Maria University. He is known as a wildly successful entrepreneur, the founder of Domino’s Pizza, an avid collector of Frank Loyd Wright items and the former owner of the Detroit Tigers. If his story stopped there, he might seem to fit in with other savvy entrepreneurs whose hard work and ingenuity paid off. But his greatest personal achievements came later in life, when Tom decided to fully immerse himself in charitable works, Catholic philanthropy and the call to restore Catholic higher education. After divesting himself of all the responsibilities and lavish distractions from a life of success, Tom set out to build America’s newest Catholic university, in an age buffeted by moral crises and anti-Christian sentiment.

Dan Schreck

Director

Daniel Schreck joined Ave Maria University as its Chief Strategy Officer and inaugural Director of The Institute in March 2024 after spending nearly 20 years working in/around New York City.  He was a partner at Equinox Partners, a global hedge-fund firm. Before his time in finance, Daniel was the inaugural director of young adult outreach for the Archdiocese of New York and an international marketing consultant for Sony Music. Daniel graduated with honors from Franciscan University (BA, Biology), Regina Apostolorum, Rome (Licentiate, Bioethics), and Columbia Business School (MBA). Giving back, Daniel was appointed by President Trump to the National Council on Disability. He has served on the boards of The Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund, Avail NYC, The Catholic Artists Society, and was elected to two terms on the representative town government for Greenwich, CT. Daniel is the President of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation, USA. Daniel and his wife, Annie, are the parents of nine children, live in Ave Maria, FL, and are members of Legatus.

Liam O’Rourke

Senior Institute Specialist

Liam O’Rourke recently graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ave Maria University with a Catholic studies major and an accounting minor. Liam was a Resident Assistant for two years, the captain of the varsity Ultimate Frisbee team for two years, the 2022 Mr. Gyrene winner, a member of Mary’s Marines, and the recipient of both the Pier Giorgio Frasatti Sportsmanship Award and the President’s Award, which is the highest award given to an AMU graduate.
As an Institute Specialist at AMU, Liam brings to the table his unique experience in leadership, management, and research consulting. He spent 10 years as the Foreman and Project Manager at Nourishing Acres, he spent a summer as a Project Management Intern at TWG Development, and he worked for two summers as a remote Research Consultant for both KYO Interiors and Smitty’s Lanai Repair.

Mark Middendorf

President of Ave Maria University

Middendorf, a Chicago native, was educated at Northern Illinois University and holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from DePaul University. Building on his successes as a corporate manager and marketer, Middendorf followed a special call to found Lighthouse Catholic Media (LCM), a lay apostolate that became the largest producer of Catholic audio talks on the planet before merging with Augustine Institute in 2015. Middendorf served as Executive Vice President for Mission Expansion at Augustine Institute before becoming AMU’s fourth President in February 2022. He and his wife, Christine, are the proud parents of four children.

Garrett Hallinan

Senior Institute Specialist

Garrett graduated from AMU in 2023, with a degree in Business Administration. While in school, Garrett was a member of the Varsity Ultimate Frisbee Team and a leader of the Fishers of Men Household.
Since graduating college, Garrett taught 5th grade at Mason Classical Academy, where he helped develop students’ intellectual and personal habits, values, and skills through consistent instruction. Most recently, Garrett was hired as an Institute Specialist to help build and lead AMU’s newest initiative, the Institute for Innovation and Industry.

Maria Boersma

INSTITUTE PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Maria Boersma completed her undergraduate degree in politics from Ave Maria University in 2010 and her graduate degree in Literature from St. Bonaventure University in 2015. Her research interests focus on the theme of immanent critique within modern American fiction as well as the theological motifs in the fiction of Flannery O’Connor. For the past six years, she has been teaching at Ave Maria University as a faculty member in the Literature and Communications Department. Her husband, Gerald, is also a professor at AMU in the Theology Department. After living in the UK and western NY, Maria and Gerald settled in Ave Maria in 2017. They now have five children - their youngest son was born this past July.

Other than teaching and research, Maria very much enjoys business development. Boersma founded an import company for European baby formula and an international network-based florist company, modeled after successful multinationals, for the Central American market.

Greg Bottaro

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

Dr. Greg Bottaro is a Catholic psychologist, founder of the CatholicPsych Institute and creator of the CatholicPsych Model of Applied Personalism (CPMAP). He received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, and works to integrate Catholic philosophy and theology with relevant psychology. He leads the CatholicPsych Institute's mission to, "Create a Catholic Standard for Mental Health."
 
In 2012, Dr. Bottaro returned to New York as a psychologist and founded the CatholicPsych Institute, which has continued to grow and serve clients around the world. Most recently he launched the CPMAP Certification to train others in their model of integrated accompaniment.
 
He currently lives in Connecticut with his wife Barbra and their seven children.

Christian Nielsen

Director of Institute and University Engagement

Christian Nielsen joined Ave Maria University from Boston in November 2023. As the Director of Institute and University Engagement, Christian invites and supports mentors, advisors, and corporate sponsorships for AMU.

Christian holds a bachelor’s in advertising from Quinnipiac University and moved to Boston in 2010 to work in strategic communications in the early-stage biotech, corporate, and nonprofit sectors. He has focused his work on the Church since 2014, serving the Archdiocese of Boston, parishes, schools, and Catholic nonprofits. Through his business Spero Consulting, Christian reestablished Legatus in Boston after a 10-year hiatus, planted the seed for the budding New Hampshire chapter, and introduced several nationally renowned ministries to the Boston market. His most recent role before AMU was as the Director of Strategic Alliances for Messenger Eagle Communications, working with Catholic, political, and corporate clients. Christian and his wife have four daughters and live in Ave Maria.

MEET OUR LEADERSHIP

THE INSTITUTE AT AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY EMBRACES A SPIRIT OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, WHICH IS REFLECTED IN OUR LEADERSHIP.

Tom Monaghan

Founder and Chancellor

Tom Monaghan started Domino’s Pizza in 1960. By 1985, he was opening three new locations per day. In 1987, Tom Monaghan founded Legatus, an international organization of Catholic businessmen and businesswomen, which now has more than 5,000 members. Tom founded Ave Maria Institute in 1998 in Michigan and it became a college. By 2003, Ave Maria College moved to Florida and became a university at the heart of the new town of Ave Maria, also founded by Tom. Ave Maria University currently offers rigorous academics across 35 majors, 34 minors, and 5 graduate programs in education, business, and theology—educating more than 1,400 students.

MARK MIDDENDORF

PRESIDENT OF AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY

Mark Middendorf founded Lighthouse Catholic Media (LCM), a lay apostolate that became the largest producer of Catholic audio talks before merging with Augustine Institute in 2015. He served as Executive Vice President for Mission Expansion at Augustine Institute before becoming Ave Maria University’s fourth President in February 2022.

DAN SCHRECK

Director

Daniel Schreck has two decades of experience spanning Wall Street, nonprofits, entertainment, and public service and is a board member for various nonprofits.

5050 Ave Maria Boulevard

Ave Maria, FL 34142

(239) 304 -7140

theinstitute@avemaria.edu

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