Mr. David Eustis Named President of Aquinas

Rochester, NY (March 2, 2023) — The Chairman of the Aquinas Board of Trustees, Nick Dobbertin ’01, announced today that Mr. David Eustis has been named the fourth president of The Aquinas Institute of Rochester.

Mr. Eustis is a true education executive who has dedicated his career to Catholic education. Currently, he is the Headmaster of Xavier High School in Middletown, Connecticut – an all-boys Catholic school enrolling over 600 students. Since taking on the role in 2017, Mr. Eustis has been integral in strengthening the school’s financial position. Under his leadership, his team turned an operating deficit into an operating surplus, doubled the school’s endowment, and stabilized enrollment despite declining birth rates.

Prior to Xavier, Mr. Eustis was President and Chief Administrator at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, Connecticut (2013-2017), where he was also successful in growing the school’s total endowment and stabilizing enrollment. While he has worked for the past ten years in school leadership, he spent the 21 years prior with Junior Achievement Worldwide where he served as head of East Coast fundraising and consulted with Western European JA offices on philanthropic strategies.

“I am honored to be named president of Aquinas, and to become part of the incredible and longstanding tradition the school has here in the Rochester community,” said Mr. Eustis. “My experience in Catholic school leadership is a true reflection of the passion I have for Catholic education. I look forward to building on the school’s legacy of preparing young men and women to attend the nation’s top colleges and universities, while instilling Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge in our students.”

Mr. Eustis will replace Dr. Anthony Cook ‘99, who notified the Board of Trustees in June of his intention to step down from his role as president, a position he had held since February 2020.

“We are grateful to Dr. Cook and the leadership he provided to Aquinas throughout the pandemic and his time as president,” said Nick Dobbertin ’01. “In the search for his successor, we were presented with qualified local and national candidates, and Mr. Eustis was the clear standout. His approach to school leadership from a business and strategic perspective, while maintaining a focus on mission, will be a great asset to Aquinas.”

While Mr. Eustis is a Boston native, the move to Rochester is a sort of homecoming for the family as his wife, Eileen, is a Pittsford native. Mr. Eustis is committed to finishing the current academic year as headmaster at Xavier, and will begin his new role as Aquinas president on June 19, 2023.