Dear St. John's Community,
It is with great joy and a deep sense of optimism for our future that I announce that Mr. David Peden has accepted the position of permanent Head of School at St. John’s Episcopal School, effective July 2026.
After a rigorous national search, David was unanimously recommended by the Search Committee and approved by the Board and Church Vestry.
David currently serves as Assistant Head of School and Interim Upper Learning Principal at a leading PK–12 independent school, where he oversees academic leadership, faculty development, program innovation, and key strategic initiatives. His career includes experience as a division head, teacher, coach, strategic-planning committee chair, and advancement leader, with a track record of community building, strategic execution, enrollment and retention initiatives, and successful partnerships.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, David brings a genuine commitment to faith-based education and service. His background includes Bible study leadership, mission work, and a strong belief in developing students who are grounded in character, citizenship, and purpose.
This commitment is deeply aligned with St. John's mission and Episcopal values.
We believe that David’s warmth, communication skills, leadership presence, and genuine desire to be part of our Olney community make him the right leader to guide St. John’s into its next chapter.
In the months ahead, the Board will work closely with David, Joe Powers, Fr. Henry, and our school and church leadership to ensure a smooth and successful transition.
Please join me in congratulating David and celebrating this milestone for our school.
With gratitude and excitement,
Brian Cobb
Chair, Board of Trustees
Meet our Search Committee
Search Committee Co-Chair, Board Member, Current Parent
Brian is a partner, a member of the Executive Team and serves as chief technology officer. Prior to joining Brown Advisory, Brian was most recently managing vice president of technology at Capital One Financial Corporation in McLean, VA, from 2011 until 2015. He was responsible for the operations and engineering of the company’s core technology platform services across all of Capital One business units, including Credit Card, Retail Bank, Commercial Bank, Home Loans, Auto Finance and Treasury Operations. Brian managed a large team at Capital One’s domestic locations and at technology partners globally. Previously, Brian served in executive leadership roles at Fannie Mae in Washington, DC from 2001 to 2011. He was senior vice president and head of mortgage operations from 2009 to 2011 and senior vice president of information technology from 2004 to 2009.
Search Committee Co-Chair, Board Member, Current Parent
Dr. Harmon is the President & Executive Director of APIA Scholars, a national scholarship fund working to reduce financial barriers for students in their pursuit of higher education. She joined the organization in 2018 from Say Yes to Education where she was the Vice President of Strategic Partnerships. She's also held roles at the Brookings Institution as Associate Director of the Global Cities Initiative, at CEOs for Cities as Chief Program Officer, and at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) as a senior research analyst. Harmon spent the first decade of her career in Higher Education, working in administration at Hofstra, University of Michigan, Western Illinois University and four years in Athletic Student Services at the University of Iowa. Harmon holds a PhD in Higher education and a BA in English and English Education from the University of Iowa and a MA in Student Affairs Administration from Ball State University.
Board Treasurer, Current Parent
With a career that bridges the gap between technology and finance, Rob has helped shape the financial strategies at Johns Hopkins. His professional philosophy includes fostering a culture of action-oriented progress, sound financial management, and network building. Rob’s journey began in the realm of industrial and software engineering, where he spent over a decade innovating for a leading local wireless products distributor. This technical foundation, combined with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Computer Science from Towson University and an MBA with a finance concentration from Loyola, propelled Rob into IT Finance. In 2016, Rob transitioned to IT@JH Finance as a Senior Financial Manager, leveraging his engineering expertise and financial acumen to drive significant advancements. As the Senior Director of Finance he now has financial oversight of all IT@JH departments. Outside the office, Rob’s passions include boating, skiing, gardening, and exploring the skies with radio-controlled planes and helicopters. A dedicated family man, an Ancient Free and Accepted Mason, and a fervent advocate for spending quality time with his young daughter, Rob embodies the spirit of comprehensive excellence.
Board Member, Past Board Chair, Alumni Parent
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A former Vice President in the DC office of KRC Research, the global full-service public opinion research consultancy practice of Weber Shandwick Public Affairs, Nanci has more than 40 years’ experience working in the fields of market research and business intelligence, with a focus on strategic communications research. Clients include those in the healthcare, education, financial services, technology, and public policy fields, representing federal, state and local government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private industry.
She is a nationally recognized qualitative researcher, with a concentration in multi-generational (e.g., The Greatest Generation, Baby Boomers, Gen X’ers, Millennials, and Gen Z’ers) and multi-cultural (e.g., African American, Hispanics, Asian American, Arab American) research. Clients include the National Cancer Institute, Veterans Health Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Department of Education, US Department of the Treasury, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and Johns Hopkins Medicine to name a few.
Nanci has presented at several national and regional conferences sponsored by the Veterans Health Administration; has been a guest lecturer at the Bloomberg School/Johns Hopkins University; and was a guest facilitator at the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, as well as guest facilitator at the 2012 Women’s Leadership Conference sponsored by the US Department of Treasury.
St. John’s Episcopal Church Vestry Member
Becky Hast is joining the STJES Head of School search committee as a representative of St. John’s Episcopal Church vestry. Prior to her retirement in 2018, she spent more than 30 years in several corporate leadership roles for health care related companies with the final 13 years spent at Hanger, the largest patient care services company for orthotic and prosthetic devices in the U.S. Managerial and executive roles in these companies provided her with ample opportunities for hiring new talent and recognizing and developing rising stars, as well as building a vision and strategy for post hire success. An interesting side note – Becky spent two years as an elementary school teacher upon graduating from the University of Pittsburgh a long time ago. She has resided in Olney since 1989 along with her family. For fun, Becky enjoys bread making, growing things, furniture refinishing and spending lots of time with her 8 grandchildren all of whom live in the area!
Current Parent
Natalie Chernett is a nonprofit grant writer and parent of two students at St. John’s. She joined Fisher House Foundation in 2021 after more than 15 years working in the nonprofit sector, specializing in fundraising strategy and grant development. Natalie holds degrees in English and Library Science from the University of Maryland and previously served in the Fundraising Operations department at Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She and her family live in Brookeville, Maryland, where they enjoy skiing, hiking, reading, and spending time with their four pets.
St. John’s Church Vestry Member, Alumni Parent
Lederer, a long-time member of St. John’s, serves on the vestry and the search committee. A former parent and relative of STJES students, he has deep ties to the school and parish community. Will earned degrees from Cornell University and Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and spent his career in financial systems and cybersecurity before retiring. He remains active as a Maryland State Track Official and at St.John’s continues to serve through music and ministry as a choir member, lector, and vestry participant.
About Our Search Firm
IndySchool Consultancy is a national independent school consulting and leadership search firm. Our mission upon which all IndySchool Consultancy’s principles are founded concerns the intentional focus on the compassionate and dutiful nature of every individual involved in the search process.Above all, it is our mission to serve the school community of educators, parents, board members and children, putting these relationships in motion by our team’s goals and objectives, work ethic and follow-up to the satisfaction of our client.
