Leadership Transitions

CAC continues to experience exciting growth in its student population, faculty, academic and extracurricular programs, and facilities. With that growth comes an increased responsibility to ensure that our organizational structure develops alongside our school. After thoughtful evaluation, we recognized the need to strengthen our administrative leadership team with individuals who understand CAC’s mission, culture, and history and who can help guide the organization confidently into the future.

With that purpose in mind, we are pleased to announce expanded leadership roles for Jeremy Beauchamp and Hayden Cruce.

Jeremy Beauchamp Named Vice President of Communications and Marketing

CAC is excited to announce that Jeremy Beauchamp has transitioned to the role of Vice President of Communications and Marketing. Mr. Beauchamp is entering his 23rd year of professional experience in communications and Christian education. He earned his bachelor’s in journalism from Harding University in 2003 and his master’s in secondary education from

Harding in 2004. After graduate school, Mr. Beauchamp worked in the newspaper industry before returning to Harding University as an instructor in the communication department and director of student publications. He left Arkansas for Atlanta to work at Greater Atlanta Christian School for 12 years.

While at GAC, Mr. Beauchamp served in numerous roles that helped him understand the unique perspective of a thriving Christian school community. In addition to his work as a journalism and English teacher, he served on the school’s branding committee and worked as a varsity baseball coach, head sponsor, chapel coordinator and assistant athletic director.

Mr. Beauchamp joined CAC in 2022 as Director of Communications. Since that time, he has led the school’s internal and external communication efforts while continuing to teach communications as an adjunct professor at Harding University. Under his leadership, CAC has experienced significant growth in both the reach and effectiveness of its communications. He has helped guide the school’s messaging through major facility projects, fundraising efforts, organizational changes and challenging moments while working to ensure that the CAC community receives timely, accurate, and professional information.

Mr. Beauchamp’s work is centered on telling the story of CAC, protecting the school’s brand and traditions, celebrating our students and employees, and positioning the organization for the future. His commitment to CAC was recently recognized by AY Magazine, which named him among its “Men of Distinction.” In his expanded role, Mr. Beauchamp will provide strategic leadership for CAC’s communications, marketing, branding, community engagement, and enrollment-related messaging. He will continue working to ensure that the school communicates its mission clearly and shares the CAC story effectively with current families, prospective families, alumni and the broader community.

Mr. Beauchamp’s humility, professional experience, and deep understanding of CAC make him an excellent fit for this expanded leadership role.

Hayden Cruce Named Vice President of Operations; Adds to Athletic Director Role

We are also pleased to announce that Hayden Cruce’s role is expanding to Vice President of Operations in addition to his position as Athletic Director. This expanded role recognizes the operational leadership he is already providing across the organization and strengthens support for athletes and coaches. As Vice President, Mr. Cruce will help coordinate facility planning, construction, campus operations, athletics, and other areas requiring organization-wide alignment and accountability. A 2004 CAC graduate and former collegiate athlete, Mr. Cruce earned both a BBA in marketing and an MBA from Harding University. He also earned a master’s in educational leadership at Arkansas State in 2016.
Early in his professional career, Mr. Cruce worked as a financial advisor with Edward Jones before being drawn back to his alma mater. At CAC, Mr. Cruce began his career as a teacher and coach. During his coaching career, Mr. Cruce assumed increasing leadership responsibilities and served as the football defensive coordinator for seven years.

As the Head Baseball Coach for three years compiling an overall record of 55-20 with multiple conference and regional championships, two state semi-final appearances, and one state final appearance. In 2018, he transitioned into school administration as an assistant principal and assistant athletic director. He became CAC’s full-time Athletic Director in 2019 and has since overseen substantial growth in the number of sports, coaches, facilities and student opportunities within the athletic program.

Today, Mr. Cruce provides leadership to more than 30 coaches and a comprehensive athletic program that includes 37 teams, 19 varsity sports, and the private-school league serving elementary students. During his tenure, CAC teams have earned 9 state championships in sports ranging from boys basketball to girls bowling.

Mr. Cruce has also led or supported the planning and implementation of major athletic facility improvements. As CAC continues its physical expansion, he is now helping oversee current construction and facilities projects serving both athletic and academic programs.

Office of Athletics Restructuring

As Mr. Cruce moves into this expanded role, the organization has taken steps to reorganize CAC Athletics to strengthen the program’s administrative structure. As our athletic program has grown, so has the need to provide organizational structure that provides coaches, students and families with more consistent and accessible administrative support. Mr. Cruce will continue to lead the office, providing the overall vision, direction, expectations and culture of CAC Athletics, much of the day-to-day administration of our individual programs will be coordinated by three assistant athletic directors: Mr. Brad Matthews, Mr. JD Plumlee and Mr. Lance Parker. 

A consistent request from our coaches has been for increased program support. Under this collegiate-style athletic administration model, each assistant AD will oversee several programs, from elementary through varsity. This structure will help ensure that coaches and families will have greater accessibility to meet administrative needs, quicker and more open communication with leadership, more direct accountability and more focused attention on each individual sport. Each of our assistant ADs brings extensive administrative and coaching experience to their role. While each will continue serving in their role as a coach, the new structure allows them to become more deeply invested in CAC Athletics as a whole. Our goal is to provide each athletic program with a designated administrator while maintaining a unified vision for CAC Athletics.

In the coming weeks, we will communicate with all our families regarding our restructuring of our athletic leadership team, which we believe will better serve our student-athletes, fans and programs from elementary to varsity.

Prepared for Continued Growth

These appointments are about more than new titles. They are part of an intentional effort to build an administrative structure capable of supporting CAC’s students, employees, families, programs and campuses well. Both Mr. Beauchamp and Mr. Cruce have demonstrated a deep commitment to CAC’s mission, an understanding of the school’s culture and a willingness to serve wherever they are needed. Their expanded leadership will help CAC navigate continued growth while maintaining the traditions, relationships, and Christian purpose that have long defined our school.

Please join us in congratulating Jeremy Beauchamp and Hayden Cruce on their expanded roles. We are grateful for their service and look forward to their continued leadership as we build CAC’s future together.

SIncerely,

Dr. Andy Stewart
President