With gratitude for his 23 years of service to his alma mater, Jesuit congratulates Bret Hanemann ’85 on being named the Director of Governmental Affairs for Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services. In his new role, Hanemann will work with state legislators while advocating for policies that support some of the state’s critical social programs. During his time at Jesuit, Hanemann has served in many capacities as a teacher, coach, and administrator, and for the past 12 years he has contributed to the school’s mission as its director of admissions.

After attending Spring Hill College following his graduation from Jesuit, Hanemann began his professional tenure on Carrollton & Banks as a speech teacher in the fall of 1990. His background as a swimmer made him a natural fit to lead the swim team, which went on to garner 19 of its state titles under his leadership. The team has claimed the metro swim title every year since his own sophomore year in 1983, a streak that has seen Hanemann become one of the winningest coaches in Jesuit’s history.

In the ensuing decades, Hanemann taught speech, sociology, health, physical education, and film with forays into a number of co-curriculars such as WJHS, Jesuit’s student television/broadcast offering in the 90s and 2000s. After a brief stint in the private sector in the mid-2000s, he returned to Jesuit in 2012 as the school’s director of admissions. In this role, he was directly connected to the Jesuit stories of hundreds of Blue Jays each year as they began their own journeys at Jesuit. Throughout his time acting in this important capacity, Hanemann continued to teach and coach both Jesuit’s and Dominican’s swim teams while coaching for local seasonal and year-round teams.

“Bret has had a major impact on Jesuit High School for many years—as a swim coach, an educator, and an administrator,” said Peter Kernion ’90, Jesuit’s principal. “I look back fondly on my own early years as an educator at Jesuit when Bret and I were both beginning our times as teachers and coaches. There is no doubt that Bret touched the lives of countless Blue Jays throughout the years.”

Hanemann’s tenure at Jesuit overlapped with the high school years of each of his three sons, Sam ’19, Ian ’20, and Kolbe ’23. His father, Ardley Hanemann, Jr. ’61, was also a longtime administrator at Jesuit who strengthened the ties between Jesuit and Cabrini as its president from 2004-2016.

His new role in state government will place him alongside countless fellow Jesuit alumni—many of whom he admitted to Jesuit or taught or coached himself—who have dedicated their careers to public and civil service.

As Hanemann transitions to his new position, the Jesuit community extends its warmest wishes for his future endeavors.

Prospective or enrolling families should contact Donna O’Connor, Jesuit’s admissions administrative assistant, at admissions@jesuitnola.org or (504) 483-3936 with all admissions or enrollment questions.