Head of School Search

Prior to Discovery Visit

Community Feedback Survey

St. John’s values the input of its entire community in the Head of School search process. The Community Feedback Survey is a vital opportunity for you to share your perspectives and help shape the future leadership of our school. Once LIVE, the link to the survey will be shared via email and will appear on this page.

February 19th  

Discovery Visit by IndySchool Consultancy

Tim Viands will visit St. John’s for an immersive day of meets and focus groups.  Parents will have the opportunity to share their thoughts with Tim after morning drop-off and before afternoon pickup.

February – August

National Recruitment & Creation of a Candidate Pool

This critical phase of the Head of School search focuses on identifying and attracting a diverse and highly qualified pool of candidates from across the nation. St. John’s, in partnership with IndySchool Consultancy, is committed to conducting a comprehensive and inclusive search to find the best possible leader for our school.

This comprehensive national recruitment effort will ensure that St. John’s attracts a strong and diverse pool of candidates who are passionate about education and excited about the opportunity to lead our school into a bright future.

March – April 2025

New Interim Head of School Announced

August 2025

Semi Finalist Interviews

The semi-finalist interview stage is a crucial step in the Head of School search process. It allows the Search Committee to engage in more in-depth conversations with a select group of candidates, moving beyond resumes and cover letters to assess their qualifications, leadership style, and alignment with St. John’s mission and values.

September 2025

Finalist Interviews

The finalist interview stage marks the culmination of the Head of School search process. During this phase, the Search Committee will engage in extensive interactions with a select group of finalists to determine the individual who best embodies the qualities and vision needed to lead St. John’s into the future.

Here's what you can expect during this phase:

- Immersive Experience: Finalists will be invited to campus for a multi-day visit, providing an opportunity for in-depth engagement with the St. John’s community. This may include:

     - Meetings with key stakeholders: Formal and informal interactions with Board members, faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni.

     - Classroom observations: Observing classes and interacting with students to gain a firsthand understanding of the school's learning environment.

     - Campus tours and community visits: Exploring the campus and surrounding community to gain a sense of the school's context and culture.

     - Social events: Participating in social events to experience the school's community spirit and build relationships with key constituents.

October 2025

Announce the appointment of the new Head of School

July 1, 2026

Our new Head of School Begins their Tenure

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

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!

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.