NCS Names Its 11th and 12th Heads of School

Dr. Elinor Scully, head of The Langley School in McLean, Va., will become the 12th Head of National Cathedral School, effective July 1, 2021, NCS Governing Board Chair Ellen Jakovic announced Tuesday.
 
Interim Head of School Susan C. Bosland has been named the 11th Head of School and will lead NCS through the 2020-2021 school year, Jakovic said.
 
The twin appointments conclude a national search process that began when Kathleen O'Neill Jamieson announced she would conclude her tenure as Head at the close of the 2018-2019 school year, after 16 years at NCS. Jakovic's announcements came on the anniversary of National Cathedral School's opening, when, in 1900, Lois A. Bangs and Mary B. Whiton served as the first Heads to 48 students.
 
Jakovic called Scully "an inspiring and innovative leader who values every student and deeply understands—and loves—our school and our mission."
 
"During the search process, Elinor impressed us with her strategic vision for promoting a supportive school culture at NCS, developing each girl's academic, emotional, and spiritual strengths, and supporting continued excellence in teaching and learning," the board chair wrote Tuesday to alumnae, parents, faculty, and staff.
 
Scully came to The Langley School, a preschool through Grade 8 school, in 2013 after eight years as a senior administrator at NCS. She nodded to the latter experience, in which she served as associate head of school and head of the Upper School, in describing the new appointment as "a homecoming … to the school that gave me the experience, foundation, and confidence to be the head of Langley. Sometimes in life, things do seem to come full circle."
 
Scully's arrival at NCS is set for July 2021, Jakovic said, so that the Langley School head may honor her commitment to important initiatives underway there and so that the school has time to identify a new head.
 
Bosland joined NCS this July, and her "exceptional talents and devotion to NCS and our mission," Jakovic said, led the Governing Board to affirm "that Sue is much more than an 'interim' Head. … In the short time since Sue has joined us, she has earned the respect and admiration, as well as the affection, of our community."
 
The NCS Board announced Bosland in January as Interim Head for the 2019-2020 school year, and she agreed to continue her leadership of the school for a second year, Jakovic said. Bosland will be installed as Head of School and Canon of Washington National Cathedral in a Nov. 13 ceremony at the Cathedral.
 
Jakovic highlighted Bosland's "ready connection to our students and parents, her capable leadership of our faculty and staff, and her wise and practical counsel."
 
Bosland came to NCS after 18 years as head of Kent Place School in Summit, N.J. While she serves at NCS, she is on a leave of absence from the executive search firm Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, where she is a partner.
 
Jakovic told NCS faculty and staff about the Head of School announcements in person Tuesday afternoon, and her news was greeted with rousing applause.

Bosland told the assembled faculty and staff, "There was no way I would say no to being asked to stay on an extra year, because of you all." She said she is excited to work with Scully, a friend of hers, and added, "We're going to make a really nice, smooth transition."
 
At The Langley School, Scully designed a visionary strategic plan that has enriched and deepened the school's academic program and approach to inquiry-based pedagogy, created a signature social and emotional curriculum, and launched an ambitious and comprehensive capital campaign.
 
Scully is a nationally recognized thought leader on independent education and, in particular, on social and emotional learning. An expert in childhood and adolescent development, she has consulted with more than 40 independent schools and written for numerous publications on the topics of gender, sexuality education, and social and emotional learning.
 
Scully began her teaching career at St. Stephens & St. Agnes School before coming to NCS in 2005. She is president of the Elementary School Heads Association and vice president of the Virginia Association of Independent Schools Board of Directors. She holds a PhD and MS in education from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the University of Virginia.
 
Bosland's and Scully's appointments followed the work of a Governing Board Search Committee that collected input from hundreds of students, alumnae, current and past parents, and current and former faculty and staff. The committee then conducted interviews with experienced educators from across the country before making a recommendation to the full Board.
 
Jakovic thanked the chairs and members of the Search Committee for their hard work in identifying the best people to lead NCS. She wrote, "These individuals served our school community with extraordinary insight, intelligence, and devotion, for which we are deeply grateful."
 
ABOUT NCS
National Cathedral School, founded in 1900, enrolls 595 girls in grades 4 through 12 on a campus adjacent to the Washington National Cathedral. As an Episcopal, independent, college preparatory day school, NCS provides an academic program that primes each girl for a lifetime of learning and believing that nothing is beyond her grasp. Its distinguished athletic, artistic, and community service programs prepare girls for a healthy, well-rounded adulthood and gives them the tools to contribute to their communities in meaningful ways. To learn more about NCS, visit our About page.
Back
    • National Cathedral School's 11th and 12th Heads of School: Susan C. Bosland and Dr. Elinor Scully

    • Faculty members congratulate Bosland on her new role.