STA News
Update from the STA Governing Board
September 18, 2026
Dear St. Albans Community:
In preparation for the June 2027 departure of Jason Robinson, the St. Albans Governing Board has begun the process of launching a national search for our next head of school. We are writing today to share several important steps that are already underway and to provide an overview of what you can expect in the months ahead.
We have retained Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A) to assist us with the search. CS&A is an internationally recognized education search and consulting firm with more than 45 years of experience successfully guiding independent schools through searches for exceptional heads of school, senior administrators, and faculty. CS&A’s Todd Bland, Jamie Estes, and President Devereaux McClatchey will serve as our search consultants, and we are excited to partner with them.
To further guide our work, we have assembled a team of deeply committed alumni, faculty, parents, and board members to join us on the Search Committee:
Search Committee Members:
Mr. George T. Chopivsky III ’93, P ’35, Governing Board Member
Mr. Jason M. Cross ’95, Governing Board Member
The Rev. Brooks Hundley, Senior Chaplain; Chair of the Religion Department
Dr. Benjamin W. Labaree Jr., Upper School Faculty, Former Head of Upper School, Associate Director of the School of Public Service
Mrs. Kris McBrady, P ’27, Governing Board Member
Mr. Richard H. Schoenfeld ’76, P ’08, Former Governing Board Chair, Former Treasurer & Finance Chair of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation
Mrs. Monica M. Thompson, P ’21, Governing Board Member
Mr. Jeffrey B. Wall, P ’33, Governing Board Secretary
Ms. Suzanne H. Woods, Associate Head of School, Upper School Faculty
Search Committee Co-Chairs:
Mrs. Rachel W. Sheridan, P ’23, ’26, Governing Board Chair
Mr. Leland Lim ’93, P ’26, Governing Board Vice Chair
We are excited to work together with the community, and we are committed to finding the best leader for St. Albans. While it would be ideal to have the new head of school in place for the 2027-2028 school year, we are also committed to the integrity of the process and the quality of the candidates we bring forward. Should the process require more time, we will consider appointing an interim head to lead the school while it continues. Our central guidepost throughout the process will be — as always — to make decisions in the best interest of the boys.
An important part of the search will be hearing from the St. Albans community. We want the process to be as inclusive as possible and to provide ample opportunities for members of our community to offer input and share their aspirations for the school. This work will include a campus visit by the CS&A consultants on October 6 and 7, 2026 to meet with faculty and staff, students, parents, alumni, and board members. Members of the community may also share their perspectives by taking this anonymous survey or by writing to HeadSearch@stalbansschool.org.
We encourage you to participate in this process. Your input — whether through on-campus meetings, the survey, or emails — will play an important role in helping the Search Committee and CS&A develop a deeper understanding of what distinguishes St. Albans, the strengths and challenges the school faces today, and the leadership qualities that will help the school flourish in the future. The community response will guide the Search Committee and our search partners in developing the head of school position description and identifying the strongest candidates.
Throughout the search, we will keep the community informed through periodic communications and updates posted on a dedicated Head Search webpage. While we will strive to be as transparent as possible about the process, the identities of candidates applying for the position will remain confidential. This is essential to attracting the strongest possible candidates (many of whom may hold significant leadership positions today and must be able to consider this opportunity with discretion).
We once again thank Mr. Robinson for his service to St. Albans. He is leaving the school in a historically strong position, and we fully expect to draw candidates of the highest caliber. We are grateful to all of you for your partnership and trust, and we look forward to working together to identify the ninth head of St. Albans School.
Yours sincerely,
Rachel W. Sheridan
Governing Board Chair
Leland Lim ’93
Governing Board Vice Chair
Back
Dear St. Albans Community:
In preparation for the June 2027 departure of Jason Robinson, the St. Albans Governing Board has begun the process of launching a national search for our next head of school. We are writing today to share several important steps that are already underway and to provide an overview of what you can expect in the months ahead.
We have retained Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A) to assist us with the search. CS&A is an internationally recognized education search and consulting firm with more than 45 years of experience successfully guiding independent schools through searches for exceptional heads of school, senior administrators, and faculty. CS&A’s Todd Bland, Jamie Estes, and President Devereaux McClatchey will serve as our search consultants, and we are excited to partner with them.
To further guide our work, we have assembled a team of deeply committed alumni, faculty, parents, and board members to join us on the Search Committee:
Search Committee Members:
Mr. George T. Chopivsky III ’93, P ’35, Governing Board Member
Mr. Jason M. Cross ’95, Governing Board Member
The Rev. Brooks Hundley, Senior Chaplain; Chair of the Religion Department
Dr. Benjamin W. Labaree Jr., Upper School Faculty, Former Head of Upper School, Associate Director of the School of Public Service
Mrs. Kris McBrady, P ’27, Governing Board Member
Mr. Richard H. Schoenfeld ’76, P ’08, Former Governing Board Chair, Former Treasurer & Finance Chair of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation
Mrs. Monica M. Thompson, P ’21, Governing Board Member
Mr. Jeffrey B. Wall, P ’33, Governing Board Secretary
Ms. Suzanne H. Woods, Associate Head of School, Upper School Faculty
Search Committee Co-Chairs:
Mrs. Rachel W. Sheridan, P ’23, ’26, Governing Board Chair
Mr. Leland Lim ’93, P ’26, Governing Board Vice Chair
We are excited to work together with the community, and we are committed to finding the best leader for St. Albans. While it would be ideal to have the new head of school in place for the 2027-2028 school year, we are also committed to the integrity of the process and the quality of the candidates we bring forward. Should the process require more time, we will consider appointing an interim head to lead the school while it continues. Our central guidepost throughout the process will be — as always — to make decisions in the best interest of the boys.
An important part of the search will be hearing from the St. Albans community. We want the process to be as inclusive as possible and to provide ample opportunities for members of our community to offer input and share their aspirations for the school. This work will include a campus visit by the CS&A consultants on October 6 and 7, 2026 to meet with faculty and staff, students, parents, alumni, and board members. Members of the community may also share their perspectives by taking this anonymous survey or by writing to HeadSearch@stalbansschool.org.
We encourage you to participate in this process. Your input — whether through on-campus meetings, the survey, or emails — will play an important role in helping the Search Committee and CS&A develop a deeper understanding of what distinguishes St. Albans, the strengths and challenges the school faces today, and the leadership qualities that will help the school flourish in the future. The community response will guide the Search Committee and our search partners in developing the head of school position description and identifying the strongest candidates.
Throughout the search, we will keep the community informed through periodic communications and updates posted on a dedicated Head Search webpage. While we will strive to be as transparent as possible about the process, the identities of candidates applying for the position will remain confidential. This is essential to attracting the strongest possible candidates (many of whom may hold significant leadership positions today and must be able to consider this opportunity with discretion).
We once again thank Mr. Robinson for his service to St. Albans. He is leaving the school in a historically strong position, and we fully expect to draw candidates of the highest caliber. We are grateful to all of you for your partnership and trust, and we look forward to working together to identify the ninth head of St. Albans School.
Yours sincerely,
Rachel W. Sheridan
Governing Board Chair
Leland Lim ’93
Governing Board Vice Chair
Located in Washington D.C., St. Albans School is a private, all boys day and boarding school. For more than a century, St. Albans has offered a distinctive educational experience for young men in grades 4 through 12. While our students reach exceptional academic goals and exhibit first-rate athletic and artistic achievements, as an Episcopal school we place equal emphasis upon moral and spiritual education.