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Dr. Viviana Valdes-Santos Named Head of Upper School
Dr. Viviana Valdes-Santos will join National Cathedral School in July as the new head of Upper School after an extensive national search, Head of School Dr. Elinor M. Scully announced on Friday.
“Dr. Valdes-Santos's warmth, care of students, and energy for working collaboratively with faculty and staff stood out during the search,” Dr. Scully wrote in a message to families, faculty, and staff, while citing Dr. Valdes-Santos's managerial experience and demonstrated success as associate dean of students and scholarship coordinator, international program director, and dorm head at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. These qualities “defined her in the search as a school leader well-positioned to lead in all aspects of school life,” Dr. Scully said.
For the last 21 years, Dr. Valdes-Santos has taught in the language department at Phillips Exeter. She currently serves as the Robert Kesler Distinguished Professor in Modern Languages and instructs all levels of French, Spanish, and Italian language classes. Dr. Valdes-Santos has also served in diverse and integral roles at the school, particularly on a number of committees charged with the direction of the school including the Curriculum Committee, the Admissions Committee, the Faculty Affairs Committee, the Diversity Council, the Community Conduct Committee, and as the Agenda Committee Chair. During the pandemic, Dr. Valdes-Santos was a member of the Pandemic Planning Day Student Working Group charged with establishing programmatic and spatial needs for students returning to school and with publishing a Day Student Pandemic Manual and Guide.
Prior to Phillips Exeter Academy, Dr. Valdes-Santos worked in prominent girls’ schools Dana Hall and the Agnes Irwin School. She also spent time at the undergraduate level, teaching at Rutgers University, St. Joseph University, and the University of Delaware.
Dr. Valdes-Santos is excited to return to the District, home to her undergraduate alma mater Georgetown University. She is an engaged member of the Georgetown alumni community and has helped interview candidates for the admissions office and served as a 1789 Scholarship chair, delivering academic support to recipients of the scholarship. From Georgetown, she went on to earn an MA from Middlebury College and a PhD in French literature from Rutgers University.
Born in Puerto Rico as the only child in a large, close-knit Cuban family, Dr. Valdes-Santos learned early on the value of education and hard work. She loved learning languages and that love took her to Paris for graduate school, where she met her husband, Roy, a retired Air Force pilot. Together they have raised three children, the youngest of whom is headed off to college in the fall. In her free time, she loves to read, cook, and travel.
She will succeed Jessica Clark in this role, who has led the Upper School in an interim capacity since July 2021. In her announcement, Dr. Scully thanked Clark for her thoughtful stewardship of the Upper School and the members of the advisory committee for their feedback and insights.
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“Dr. Valdes-Santos's warmth, care of students, and energy for working collaboratively with faculty and staff stood out during the search,” Dr. Scully wrote in a message to families, faculty, and staff, while citing Dr. Valdes-Santos's managerial experience and demonstrated success as associate dean of students and scholarship coordinator, international program director, and dorm head at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. These qualities “defined her in the search as a school leader well-positioned to lead in all aspects of school life,” Dr. Scully said.
For the last 21 years, Dr. Valdes-Santos has taught in the language department at Phillips Exeter. She currently serves as the Robert Kesler Distinguished Professor in Modern Languages and instructs all levels of French, Spanish, and Italian language classes. Dr. Valdes-Santos has also served in diverse and integral roles at the school, particularly on a number of committees charged with the direction of the school including the Curriculum Committee, the Admissions Committee, the Faculty Affairs Committee, the Diversity Council, the Community Conduct Committee, and as the Agenda Committee Chair. During the pandemic, Dr. Valdes-Santos was a member of the Pandemic Planning Day Student Working Group charged with establishing programmatic and spatial needs for students returning to school and with publishing a Day Student Pandemic Manual and Guide.
Prior to Phillips Exeter Academy, Dr. Valdes-Santos worked in prominent girls’ schools Dana Hall and the Agnes Irwin School. She also spent time at the undergraduate level, teaching at Rutgers University, St. Joseph University, and the University of Delaware.
Dr. Valdes-Santos is excited to return to the District, home to her undergraduate alma mater Georgetown University. She is an engaged member of the Georgetown alumni community and has helped interview candidates for the admissions office and served as a 1789 Scholarship chair, delivering academic support to recipients of the scholarship. From Georgetown, she went on to earn an MA from Middlebury College and a PhD in French literature from Rutgers University.
Born in Puerto Rico as the only child in a large, close-knit Cuban family, Dr. Valdes-Santos learned early on the value of education and hard work. She loved learning languages and that love took her to Paris for graduate school, where she met her husband, Roy, a retired Air Force pilot. Together they have raised three children, the youngest of whom is headed off to college in the fall. In her free time, she loves to read, cook, and travel.
She will succeed Jessica Clark in this role, who has led the Upper School in an interim capacity since July 2021. In her announcement, Dr. Scully thanked Clark for her thoughtful stewardship of the Upper School and the members of the advisory committee for their feedback and insights.
