Cincinnati native Deacon Nathan Beiersdorfer of St. Cecilia Parish has been appointed the first-ever Executive Director of the Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori (GSCM). After 11 years as Moeller High School’s Chief Financial Officer, he starts his new role in July.

“My ultimate goal here is to help this community discern what the Lord wants for this place and for us to go do it together,” Deacon Beiersdorfer said.

He was encouraged to pursue the position by the GSCM board chair, also of St. Cecilia Parish. It so happened that same week that Montessori principal Anne Marie Vega suggested he join the school vocations panel. Deciding it was worth applying for the job to learn more, Deacon Beiersdorfer spent a full day in the interview process, during which he was introduced to many school community members, including teachers, students, and parents.

“I was just drawn to the deep faith that they exhibited there,” he said. “I already knew a lot of people … [many] are parishioners at St. Cecilia. I felt a sense of peace there and a deep calling to go and be a shepherd for them. It just felt clear that God was saying, ‘This is your next move. I need you to use some of the gifts I’ve given you, in new ways.’”

The overwhelmingly positive response to his appointment confirmed for Deacon Beiersdorfer that this is where God is calling him to be.

“All of my daily prayer has been devoted to asking God for help with this decision,” he said. “He started making things clear very quickly. It was actually one of the easier discernments I’ve had. I would say the biggest part of the decision was praying through this together with my wife—it’s a pretty big shift for us. I also talked to my pastor and other priests for guidance.”

“We’re really looking forward to this new chapter!” Vega said. The executive director role will relieve her of the business aspects and community interaction duties which have grown since the school’s founding by the previous principal, Dan Teller, who retired. “I am [now] more the inward face of the school,” she said, “in charge of day-to-day operations, students, curriculum, and teachers.

“She is so committed to the school,” Deacon Beiersdorfer said. “The board of the school determined it was time to get her some help so that she can focus on being the principal.”

Founding GSCM in the late 1990’s, Dan Teller was a convert and long-time Montessori educator, when he felt inspired to start a Catholic Montessori School based on The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

“I felt that Montessori education combined with Catholic spiritual formation would truly be a complete education for a child,” he explained. Inspired to explore the idea, Teller said the vision rested on Luke 2:52. “We wanted to imitate Jesus’ wisdom, grace, and stature in the world.”

“They operate on three pillars: the Catholic Faith, The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, and Montessori education,” said Beiersdorfer.

To found the school, Teller first formed a nonprofit corporation and then secured a location in the upper floor of a Christian church’s school building. He recruited students by hosting open houses and meeting individually with families, and he created a classroom setting by borrowing Montessori and Catechesis materials, along with children’s furniture from his own home. A board of directors formed, and the school raised $96,000 from grants and individual donations. When it opened in August 1998, the school had 28 students enrolled in preschool and kindergarten; and it grew one grade level each year through eighth grade.

Teller said his early challenges included balancing teaching with administrating and promoting the school.

However, the families’ enthusiasm, joy, and commitment offset the challenges, Teller said. “The beautiful partnership with the parents really contributed to the strengths and success of the program.”

Finding Montessori teachers who were devout Catholics also proved a challenge for maintaining quality staff, Teller noted. “Because of that, our applicant pool was much smaller.”

That challenge continues. “The world can press in

… pretty heavily, even at Catholic schools,” said Beiersdorfer. “We have to maintain a focus on who we are and who we hire, and help parents have the right tools to pass on this inheritance [of faith] to their children.”

Teller served as principal and managed administrative work until Principal Vega arrived in 2017. He transferred his role to her throughout the year then served as a catechist for a few years before retiring. The school moved to its current 13-acre location in 2002.

“The great joy of the children and experiencing this form of education [have] been a delight,” said Teller. “The freedom and the richness of the Montessori [model], along with The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, all coming together in a school: [it] provided an insight to how joyful a life of faith can be.”

“The way in which it’s done at the school is spectacular, and you can see it in the face of the kids they send forth,” Beiersdorfer added.

“We offer something very unique,” Vega said. “It’s a wonderful thing to be part of. I look forward to the future … [I see us ] becoming a model of what it means to be a Catholic Montessori school and what [that] brings to society.”

This article appeared in the June 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.