Marian Catholic High School is pleased to announce that Dave Bielen ’69, P ’91, GP ‘24 and Larry Furey ’79 have been elected to serve as Chair and Vice Chair, respectively, of the Marian Catholic High School Board of Directors for the 2025–2026 school year. Their election took place at the Spring Board meeting held this past Saturday on campus.

Dave Bielen will succeed longtime Board Chair Pat Reilly, who has served in the role with distinction for the past 12 years. A committed alumnus and supporter of Marian, Bielen brings decades of leadership and service to the position. Bielen’s leadership comes at an important time as Marian continues to work on a new strategic vision focused on preserving and re-imaging Catholic education in Schuylkill, Carbon, and Luzerne counties for generations.

“It’s an honor to step into this role and continue the legacy of leadership exemplified by Pat Reilly,” said Bielen. “His dedication to Marian has been extraordinary, and I look forward to building on that foundation as we work together to ensure a vibrant future for our school.”

Bielen graduated from Marian in 1969 and then attended and graduated from Penn State University. He is married to the former Mary Ann Geusic of Lansford, from the Marian Class of 1970 and are the parents of Angela Bielen Meiss, who graduated from Marian in 1991. Their granddaughter, Julie Meiss, is a 2024 graduate of Marian. Bielen spent 56 years in the food business, retiring as Partner and Vice President of Meat/Deli/Seafood for Integrity Food Marketing, a food brokerage company headquartered in Wayne PA.

An active member of the Church of All Saints in McAdoo where serves on the Parish Finance Council, Bielen also served as a Delegate of the Second Synod of the Diocese of Allentown, is a member of the Saint Jerome’s Regional School Advisory Board and former Board Chair of the St. Jerome’s Regional School Board of Limited Jurisdiction. In addition, Bielen is a member of the Father Henry Baker Council #2711 of the Knights of Columbus and a 4th Degree member of the Schuylkill Assembly #0923 Knights of Columbus. His brother Gregg is a 1981 graduate of Marian. 

Larry Furey, founder of a nationally recognized advancement firm and fellow Marian alumnus, joins Bielen in Board leadership as Vice Chair. Originally from Lansford, Furey attended Saint Bonaventure University and worked for the international accounting firm of Coopers and Lybrand (now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers) before starting his career in Catholic school advancement by serving as the first, full time Director of Alumni and Development at Marian from 1990 to 1995. For 18 years, Furey served as Assistant Head of School for Advancement at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, MA. Furey eventually formed the consulting and executive search firm of Partners in Mission, building the largest consulting and search firm for Catholic schools in the country, which he led until its sale in January 2024.  Retired and a resident of Naples, FL, Furey is the son of the late Larry Furey, the former Postmaster in Lansford and one of the founders of the Men of Marian, and Ann Kilroy Furey, a former faculty member at Marian, who now lives on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. His five siblings are all graduates of Marian: Mary Pat ’75, Kathleen ’76, Ann ’78, Michael ’83 and Patrick ’83.

“I’m thrilled to work alongside Dave and the entire Board of Directors to advance the mission of Marian,” said Furey. “Our school has a proud history, and together we are committed to strengthening its future for generations to come.”

In addition to Bielen and Furey, other officers for the 2025-26 school year are former Jim Thorpe resident Sr. Rose Mulligan, IHM ’84 of Immaculata, PA as Secretary and former Mahanoy City resident Bill Stulginsky ‘69 of Newton Square, PA as Treasurer, both of whom were re-elected to their positions on Saturday.

Marian Catholic High School is deeply grateful for the leadership and service of Pat Reilly and looks forward to a new chapter under the guidance of Dave Bielen and Larry Furey.