“True leadership is about being humble enough to serve others and strong enough to do what’s right. And that is Tom Mengler.”
That quote on the St. Mary’s University website describes Tom Mengler, St. Mary’s president, who has accepted the role as the new chief executive officer for the Cibolo Center for Conservation in Boerne.
The Cibolo announced Mengler’s selection in a letter dated May 16 signed by Carolyn Chipman Evans, The Cibolo founder and current CEO, and John Freud, The Cibolo board president.
Mengler retires from his post at St. Mary’s University on May 31 after 12 years of principled leadership for the downtown San Antonio university. On July 8, he will step into the leadership role at The Cibolo as Evans steps down as CEO.
The letter stated that in the coming months, Evans — who along with her husband Brent Evans, led an effort that began in 1988 to ensure the creek’s preservation — will introduce Mengler to the community and “will continue to support the work at The Cibolo by protecting additional land and growing the organization’s endowment,” the letter stated.
Mengler said he feels The Cibolo will be a perfect fit for his post-education efforts.
“I’m retiring from St. Mary’s, but I’m not retiring,” Mengler said. “The mission-centric nature of The Cibolo is something I want to continue to contribute toward and the role itself has spoken to me.”
The letter stated the board found Mengler to be the ideal candidate as the future leader of The Cibolo, giving unanimous support to his hiring as its next CEO.
The Cibolo, the 160-acre center that offers miles of trails, is home to historic Herff Farm and helps protect the Cibolo Creek watershed, which contributes more than a million gallons of water per day to the Trinity and Edwards aquifers, the primary sources of drinking water for the region.
Since stepping into the role of president at St. Mary’s on June 1, 2012, Mengler has guided the university through some of the biggest moments in its 171-year history, according to the university’s website: overseeing the largest fundraising campaign in St. Mary’s history, creating more than a dozen new degrees and certificates and strengthening community ties in San Antonio.
“Our mission at St. Mary’s is educating leaders for the common good, and I’m excited to carry this pursuit forward to serve a broader community,” Mengler said. “I feel it could be a very meaningful place to use my gifts and talents.
“I’m a citizen of this world and conservation and sustainability are important. They are critical dimensions for us,” he said. “I believe in the importance of solitude in nature. We need quiet in our lives.”
During its search, one of Mengler’s references stated, “Tom’s greatest strength is you can count on him to be honest and straightforward. He is incredibly knowledgeable; he is a very strong leader. He will take on leadership opportunities where others will shy away from it.”
Mengler grew up in the Chicago area. He attended Carleton College, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.
He later went to law school at the University of Texas at Austin, earning his juris doctorate degree, with distinction, in 1981. Prior to joining St. Mary’s, he was the dean of the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis for 10 years, preceded by 17 years at the University of Illinois College of Law.
Mengler and his wife, Mona, have four adult children and two grandchildren.
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