02/08/2016

CCMS hires new president

(Courtesy of CCMS)

A new President has been selected and welcomed to the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science. Jack E. Lechner, Jr., Colonel (Retired), United States Army, earned a Mortuary Science Certificate of Proficiency, Mercer County Community College and then began his long history with CCMS in 1990 when he earned the Bachelor of Mortuary Science degree, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Mr. Lechner went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Logistics Management, Florida Tech and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy, National Defense University.

Mr. Lechner most recently served at Headquarters, Department of the Army, Pentagon.

Prior to his service at the Pentagon, Col Lechner was assigned as part of the new leadership team given the mission to restore the trust of the American public in the face of the major 2010 scandal at Arlington National Cemetery. He served as the Executive Officer, Cemetery Administrator, Deputy Superintendent, and culminated his five year tenure by serving as Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery until August 2015. Mr. Lechner retired from the United States Army in 2011 after serving 29 years on active duty.

Mr. Lechner earned licensure as a funeral director and embalmer in Ohio, Virginia, and New Jersey. He is a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner (CFSP) from the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice and Certified in Thanatology; Death, Dying, and Bereavement from the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Mr. Lechner has maintained a welcomed connection with CCMS over the years, as both a guest speaker in the classroom and providing the commencement address at the fall 2015 graduation ceremony.
His history of strong leadership and passionate dedication to the death care profession is an asset to CCMS. Mr. Lechner has been well received by the students, faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees.

John Gay, Board Chairperson, states “We as the Board of Trustees could not be happier to have Mr. Lechner serve as CCMS President. It was imperative that we select someone who would lead CCMS to the next level of funeral service education excellence. This was vital for the good of our students and the very dedicated faculty and staff at the college, as well as for the general good of our profession. After a very robust vetting process it became clear that Jack was the person to assume this important leadership role."
We are privileged to have Mr. Lechner join CCMS and are excited to see what the future brings under his leadership. To contact Mr. Lechner, please email president@ccms.edu.