Leadership

As President, I work with a wonderful team of administrators in overseeing both the business side and the school side of Harvard-Westlake, striving in everything we do to fulfill our mission. Before assuming this role in 2013, I served as Headmaster of Groton School in Massachusetts for ten years. Early in my career I taught English, coached soccer, and served as a dean here at Harvard-Westlake, so my work in schools has come full circle. As an undergraduate, I was an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia, and I earned master’s degrees in English and education from Middlebury College and Stanford University.

I am proud to be Harvard-Westlake’s Head of School. Prior to beginning this position, I was the Associate Head of School at Harvard-Westlake for three years. Before that, I spent eight years as an upper school head, three at Harvard-Westlake and five at Greenhill School in Dallas, Texas. Prior to moving into a division head role I spent seventeen years in a variety of roles in education: I’ve been a college counselor, a college admissions officer, a soccer coach, a teacher of meditation, social ethics, and world religions, and a dorm parent in a boarding school. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Wesleyan University and a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Student Affairs from Stanford University. My husband Gregg teaches math at the middle school at Harvard-Westlake and our daughter Casey is Harvard-Westlake class of ’23 and our son Graham is Harvard-Westlake class of ’26.

As Chief Information Officer at Harvard-Westlake, I lead the school’s technology initiatives, ensuring our systems align with the educational mission. I bring over a decade of experience, having served as CIO at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where I oversaw innovative IT solutions to enhance business education. I’m passionate about leveraging technology to foster collaboration, progressive learning, and forward-thinking ideas. Originally from Los Angeles, I earned my bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and am excited to return home, where I enjoy exploring the city’s vibrant food scene with my wife and two daughters.

I am the Head of Athletics at Harvard-Westlake School. Prior to serving in this role, I was the Athletic Director for Communication at HW. Before coming to Harvard-Westlake, I was a Department Business Manager at the University of Southern California (USC), where I was responsible for the restricted and unrestricted budgets for the Linguistics, Psychology, and Neuroscience departments. I received my Bachelor in Communication and my Master’s in Education from USC. I was also captain of the USC Football team in 1995.

I started at Harvard-Westlake over 34 years ago as the upper school theater’s Technical Director. I then phased into becoming the Middle School Plant Manager, then the Chief of Campus Operations. Being the CCO was a very hard but very rewarding job. My departments included maintenance, security, clerical, and food service, and I still supervised all the theater technical staff. My motivation as the CCO was to make sure everyone at HW was taken care of — students, parents, faculty, and staff — by making sure they had what they needed to maximize the value of their experiences at Harvard-Westlake. I have now transitioned again to Chief of Construction to run the River Park project. The River Park project will be the largest project in HW history, so it will need all my attention to make it a great success like the middle school project I completed years ago.

I am Harvard-Westlake’s Head of Communications & Strategic Initiatives. I’m also an assistant coach on the boys varsity basketball team. Prior to serving in these roles, I was Executive Director of a network of public charter schools in Los Angeles called Bright Star Schools, taught history here at Harvard-Westlake, and helped to run a software company that I co-founded called Stamps.com. I studied Political Science and Psychology at UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) and earned my JD and MBA from UCLA. I’m one of many alumni who have come back to work at Harvard-Westlake.

I have been a member of the Harvard Westlake family since 1999 as an 8th and 9th grade history teacher, and then starting in 2012 as an 8th and 9th grade dean. As the Head of the Middle School Dean Team, I work alongside a team of 7 amazing, empathetic, caring deans and our student support team of Counselors and Learning Specialists. We have a relational and holistic approach to shepherding students through middle school and the transition to the upper school. In addition to teaching an Ethnic Studies class in our Middle School Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Department, I am a faculty advisor for the Middle School Asian American Culture Club, and I designed and teach a summer school course on Asian Americans and Los Angeles. I earned my Bachelors of Arts in History and Asian Studies from the University of Utah and a Masters of Arts from UCLA in Chinese History.

It is an honor and privilege to serve as the Director of Operations at Harvard-Westlake, where I oversee the comprehensive management of the school's facilities and operations. I lead and support the dedicated teams responsible for facilities maintenance, capital improvements, event support, and clerical administration. Additionally, I collaborate closely with the school’s valued partners who provide essential services, including security, food service, custodial staffing, and maintenance and construction trades such as general contracting, landscape, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical. Together, we work to ensure the smooth and effective operation of the school's facilities, infrastructure, and services. I hold a B.A. in Business Administration from Point Loma Nazarene University and an M.S. in Ministry from Pepperdine University. Before joining Harvard-Westlake, I served as Director of Operations for Planning, Operations, and Construction at Pepperdine. My professional background also includes experience as a pastor, middle and high school teacher, and owner/chef of a catering company. I am the proud husband to my wonderful wife, Cara, and father to three incredible young men, Carter, Abbott, and Oliver.

I am Harvard-Westlake’s Head of Advancement. I began at Harvard-Westlake in 2005 on our alumni relations team, followed by graduate school, and then two years running the alumni and annual giving programs at Polytechnic School in Pasadena. In 2012, I returned to Harvard-Westlake to run our annual giving program, pursue major gifts for the school, and teach 8th grade debate. In 2017, I was promoted to my current role. I studied Politics at Princeton University and received a Master’s in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University. As a recipient of financial aid throughout my own education, my work is driven by a desire to create the same types of opportunities at Harvard-Westlake that so many others provided for me.

Coming to Harvard-Westlake two years after the merger in 1994, I am currently the Head of External Relations at Harvard-Westlake. Over the years, I have also been an Associate Director of College Counseling, dean of juniors and seniors, and Chief Advancement Officer. I have also taught psychology, served as faculty advisor to the Asian American Awareness Club, the Straight-Gay Alliance, and Project 10. Before joining Harvard-Westlake, I graduated from Brown University with a degree in psychology and worked in college admissions at Occidental College and Brown University. I’m an avid baseball fan, movie buff, and foodie (who also cooks Chinese food).

I am honored to work with a dynamic team of 14 as Department Head of the Upper School Deans and to guide and support nearly 900 students throughout their upper school academic careers and the college admission process. In addition, I serve as faculty sponsor for several student groups, and coached basketball during my first seven years at Harvard-Westlake. I joined HW in 2012 after 10 years as Co-Director of College Counseling and Head Basketball Coach at Columbus Academy (OH). I also spent seven years in college admission at Kenyon College, Williams College (alma mater), and American University. Between admissions stints at Williams and American, I received a Master’s degree from Columbia University Teachers College. My wife, Janine, serves as HW’s Associate Head of School for Community & Belonging, and we are the proud parents of two HW alums (Taylor, ’18, and Avery, ’23).

As an Associate Director of Admission and Harvard-Westlake’s inaugural Assistant Head of School for Community and Belonging, I am dedicated to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all members of the Harvard-Westlake community. Prior to joining Harvard-Westlake, I practiced law at prominent law firms, served as a senior advisor to former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, and taught several law schools classes including legal writing. My experiences in law, public service, and education have equipped me with the skills to navigate complex issues and advocate for equity. I am honored to lead our school’s initiatives in community, belonging, diversity, equity, and inclusion. My husband, Chris, serves as Chair of the Upper School Deans, and our daughters, Taylor and Avery, are proud graduates of Harvard-Westlake.

Chris joined Harvard-Westlake as Head of Admission and Enrollment in 2023. Prior to joining Harvard-Westlake, Chris was the Director of Admissions and Financial Assistance at Francis Parker School in San Diego, CA. Before entering independent school education, Chris worked for a college access organization helping low-income students become first in their families to attend and graduate from college. Chris earned his A.B. in Sociology from Harvard University and M.A. in Business Management from Wake Forest University.

After serving as an Upper School Dean for 15 years, I became Head of the Upper School in July 2020. My role is to lead the Upper School faculty, staff and students in living the mission of Harvard-Westlake – encouraging the joyful pursuit of excellence, creating a diverse and inclusive community, and fostering purpose beyond ourselves. My entire career has been in the field of education, working in career services at Georgetown University (my alma mater), undergraduate admissions at USC, and in the Deans Office at HW. After moving to California from my home state of Massachusetts in 1995, I earned my Master’s degree and Ph.D. in Education from UCLA, completing a dissertation on academic and social self-esteem in girls. I am the proud parent of 4 children, the oldest of whom graduated from HW in 2017, and the proud wife of a music educator.

A graduate of the class of 1993, I am proud to serve as the school’s Chief Financial Officer. From budgeting to student transportation to matters of employment, I ensure that resources are put to use in ways that best support our students, faculty and staff, and the HW community. I greatly enjoy the diversity of the work we perform, a long-held trait that similarly led me to receive an economics degree from Pomona College. When not engrossed in a financial model or planning new programs with colleagues, I can usually be found on a hike or trip to the beach with my two sons.

I am the Head of Middle School and a middle school teacher at Harvard-Westlake. During my time at Harvard-Westlake, I have also been a middle school dean, upper school dean, department chair, and a coach for a variety of middle school sports. After receiving my undergraduate degree in English from Princeton, where I also played football and volleyball, I taught for a year at Cardigan Mountain School in Canaan, NH. Through the generosity of Harvard-Westlake’s professional development program, I received my master’s degree in English from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. My wife, Amanda Angle, is also a middle school teacher at Harvard-Westlake. We met here at Harvard-Westlake in 1998, and we have two children, Franklin ’25 and Lila ’26.