Campaign Leadership Profile

Dennis & Jeanne Breunig, Benefactors

As the project continues, we want to introduce you to some of the campaign leaders who are making this project a success. We are grateful for the talented, hard-working, faithful men and women who are building a legacy of life-changing Catholic education!

Dennis and Jeanne Breunig are long-time Madison area residents and members of St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff. Dennis was raised locally on a farm near Roxbury while Jeanne is from La Crosse, where they met in an introductory political science course at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and are now celebrating 47 years of marriage. 

Dennis earned degrees in business and accounting. He was hired by Smith and Gesteland CPAs before being named partner in 1982 and retiring from the firm in 2014. Jeanne earned a secondary education degree in social studies and devoted herself to raising four children and becoming a tireless and effective advocate for the unborn in countless ways.

The Breunigs were first invited to a St. Ambrose Academy musical through a mutual friend in the early years of the school’s history. From the beginning, Dennis recalls, “I was attracted by the excellence of this strong group of people doing this spectacularly well, just knocking it out of the park, even compared to schools with larger budgets.”

This first taste of St. Ambrose Academy whet Dennis’ appetite and he and Jeanne wanted to know more about what made the school so captivating. “What I found,” he continued,” is that the mission matched that excellence I first saw in the musicals – this bright spot of Catholic education, filled with the students who are articulate, faithful, and strong.”

The Breunigs are particularly drawn to the strong community that students can find at St. Ambrose. “There are temptations in life, but we help each other resist them,” added Jeanne, “and all of these great, faithful St. Ambrose students are being given this seed of faith and a community in which to grow.”

Through this community, the Breunigs see the impact that the students, alumni, and all involved in the mission are having. Their love of Christ and their heart for the Catholic faith and raising children who become adults that lead lives filled with hope and joy, impelled them to want to support the mission.

In particular, Jeanne, one of 11 children, was able to receive 12 years of Catholic education because of the sacrifice of two older brothers and an aunt who made tuition payments that provided that education for her and her siblings. Being eternally grateful for the gifts she’s been given, Jeanne is inspired to likewise help St. Ambrose be there for all students.

Now, as the Academy moves ahead with thoughtful plans for a permanent new home, the Breunigs see a bounty of great things in store for the future of the Catholic faith and families in the Madison area.

“We want the impact of the school to be long-lasting, to have a ripple effect as the students graduate and become a part of the world,” said Dennis. “We hope that anyone who wants to benefit from this education and go there and that the school, in its beautiful new home, can thrive even more. We also hope that more people can become involved and love the school as much as we do. We cannot count the ways we’ve been blessed by the people there and our involvement with St. Ambrose Academy!”