Leadership

List of 18 items.

• 

  Amelia Arthur

  School Chaplain
  Read More
  A lifelong Episcopalian, Amelia Arthur has loved the Episcopal faith as long as she can remember. Prior to joining the St. Catherine’s community she served as Senior Associate Rector at St. James’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, and as the Associate for Formation at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Edina, Minnesota. She graduated from Wofford College with a B.A. in History with concentrations in Art History and Gender Studies. She earned her Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she was the first non-lutheran woman to serve as Student Body President. Amelia has always had a passion for education and forming community, particularly with children and youth.
• 

  Sharon Arne

  Head of Middle School
  Read More
  Sharon Arne joined the St. Catherine’s team in July 2022 after serving in academic leadership positions at three other schools. She began her independent school career in North Carolina as a middle school teacher at Fayetteville Academy, where she also served in administrative roles including Director of Academic Affairs. She shared her management talents as the Academic Head of School at Lake Mary Preparatory school in Lake Mary, Florida for three years before returning to her home state of Virginia to serve as the Academic Dean for Stuart Hall School in Staunton.
  
  

  Sharon’s passion for education and learning led her to pursue many growth opportunities including a certification in neurodevelopmental science, a fellowship through the National Association of Independent Schools, and the development of a variety of academic programs including community-based learning, authentic learning and 21st century skills and mastery learning.
• 

  Laura Birdsey

  Director of Alumnae Relations
  Read More
  A 13-year day student, Laura returned to St. Catherine's in 2014 as the Director of Alumnae Relations.  Prior to her role at St. Catherine's, she lived in New York and worked at Polo Ralph Lauren as an account executive, followed by 10 years in the sales department at Carole Hochman Design Group. A CHDG, she managed the sleepwear licensed brand Donna Karan Sleepwear, and worked with Nordstrom, Bloomingdales and Dillards to sell Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren,  Oscar de la Renta and Betsey Johnson sleepwear brands, amongst others.  She holds a BA from the University of Virginia, and is a proud parent of two current Saints.
• 

  Tish Canady

  Director of Access, Equity and Belonging
  Read More
  Tish has more than 15 years of experience in education. Her foundation is in higher education, and she has experience in and a passion for creating more diverse, inclusive and equitable environments. Her journey into DEI leadership began as a natural progression of her appreciation of the transformative power of education and her commitment to making selective institutions more accessible to a more diverse population.
  
  

  Tish has partnered with school leaders across various educational institutions to create policies and procedures that foster an atmosphere of inclusion, diversity and belonging. She is dedicated to advocating for underrepresented communities and purposefully implementing changes that impact the culture within academic institutions.
• 

  Jennifer Cullinan

  Director of Admissions, Enrollment and Community Engagement
  Read More
  A graduate of an all-girls school, Jennifer truly knows the value of the girls' school experience. As Director of Admissions, she works with prospective students of all ages - from our youngest applicants in the Early Learners program to applicants to the Upper School. Prior to joining St. Catherine's in 2009, Jennifer was a school counselor in Richmond City Public Schools for ten years and the Assistant Head of the Lower School at the Steward School for five years. 
• 

  Julie Dayton

  Director of Athletics
  Read More
  Julie Dayton oversees St. Catherine's athletic program, which boasts 40 teams in 14 sports and a coaching staff of more than 80 coaches. Julie initiated a coach education program and captain's leadership training to help set the culture of best practices and leadership throughout the program. She joined St. Catherine's in 2000 to help lead the schematic design, building and opening of the Kenny Athletic and Fitness Center and Goochland fields. 
  
  

  Prior to St Catherine’s, Julie spent 15 years as a Division I college field hockey and lacrosse coach at the University of Virginia (eight years) and Dartmouth College (seven years). She earned her Certified Athletic Administrator designation in 2004 and was named the VISAA Independent School Athletic Director of the Year in 2009. A standout lacrosse athlete, Julie was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2016 after a ten-year stint on the national team. She is also an inaugural member of the Longwood University Hall of Fame in addition to three other athletic Halls of Fame. 
• 

  Frances Doyle

  Interim Head of Upper School
  Associate Head of School for Academics
  Read More
  Frances Doyle began teaching at St. Catherine’s in 1996. She taught English as an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond and Reynolds Community College before joining the English Department. Prior to her position as Chief Academic Officer, she served as JK-12 English Department Chair, Faculty sponsor of the Honor and Discipline Committee, Saints 4 Life Coordinator, Assistant Director of the Upper School and Interim Director of Middle School. Her focus in these various positions has been to build a strong and inclusive community for all and to work with faculty to create a rich academic experience for students.
• 

  Katherine Ferguson

  Director of Development
  Read More
  Katherine began her fundraising career at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in 2003 and has since worked in all aspects of Development, including annual giving, capital campaigns, donor relations and planned giving.  She started at St. Catherine's in  2011 and has served in various roles. Katherine enjoys working with alumnae, parents and colleagues to raise funds that impact our students and entire School community.
• 

  Lori Fuller

  Chief Financial Officer
  Read More
  Lori Fuller joined St. Catherine’s business office in 2009. A graduate of  Mary Washington, Lori joined a local accounting firm and became a licensed Certified Public Accountant after graduating. She worked for 20 years with the firm of Cherry, Bekaert LP performing tax services for business entities and individual 1040 clients and auditing services. Once Lori reached management level, she focused on auditing Not for Profit organizations including local independent school entities. 
• 

  Anna Hatfield

  Chief of Staff
  Read More
  Anna Hatfield joined St. Catherine’s in 2012. Anna's role includes project management and execution of strategic initiatives across all departments and divisions of the School. She provides the organizational and communication framework for faculty, staff and leadership team members to implement the School’s vision and achieve annual goals.

  
  Previously, Anna has worked and volunteered in development and technical roles for non-profits. She also worked as a software engineer and database developer for Verizon. She has served on a variety of non-profit boards and most recently was the President of the William & Mary Alumni Association Board of Directors.
• 

  Pontus Hiort

  Dean of Faculty
  Read More
  Dr. Pontus Hiort started at St. Catherine’s in 2008 as an Upper School history teacher after having worked in higher education for several years as an adjunct instructor. He holds a Ph.D. in Modern European history with a focus on Central Europe. During his time at St. Catherine’s, he has taught a variety of Upper School history courses. He previously served our community as the Director of Academics before assuming the role of Dean of Faculty in 2022.
• 

  Annie Kapetanis

  Head of Lower School
  Read More
  In her 30+ years in education, Dr. Kapetanis has taught and held leadership positions in independent schools in Florida and New Jersey before joining St. Catherine’s in 2011. A product of an all-girls education herself, she strongly believes in the power of an all-girls environment, especially in the foundational years when personality, passions and values are formed. Under the leadership of Dr. Kapetanis, the St. Catherine’s Center for Early Childhood Education was established with an expanded full-day Junior Kindergarten and the launch of the Early Learners (age 3) program in 2017.
• 

  Paul Lozo

  Chief Operating Officer 
  Read More
  Before joining the St. Catherine's team, Paul spent 26 years at the University of Richmond working in various leadership roles within the operations department. Most recently, he was the Executive Director of Facilities Operations, where he oversaw multiple departments including Business Operations, Engineering Services and Custodial Services. As a steward of the University's assets and in addition to annual fiscal responsibilities, Paul was responsible for developing long-range capital plans using data-driven models, asset inventories and condition assessments. He champions professional development while promoting a communicative, collaborative and inclusive environment.
• 

  Scott Meyerhoffer

  Director of Security
  Read More
  Scott Meyerhoffer is the Director of Security at St. Catherine’s School in Richmond VA. He is a 25 year veteran of the Chesterfield Police Department, a Crime Prevention Specialist and a past President of the Central Virginia Crime Prevention Association. Scott spent 16 years on the SWAT Team, with the last 14 years on the Sniper team. His most recent assignment was the Community Services Division as an SRO at Cosby High School.
  
  

  Scott is certified by the Department of Homeland Security as a Terrorism Instructor. He assisted in the development of a curriculum for conducting threat assessments for large facilities. As a result, he was part of a team that conducted assessments of college campuses, theme parks, malls, churches, large office parks, airports, private schools and daycare centers. He is a consultant to state and local law enforcement agencies and private security companies in the area of active shooter, crisis management and planning, and threat and vulnerability assessments. Scott is a certified firearms, patrol rifle, Taser and active shooter instructor. He assisted in conducting his department’s Weapons of Mass Destruction class.
  
  

  Scott is a national speaker and has been invited to make keynote speeches for several large annual conferences. He has assisted the National Crime Prevention Council on training conferences, public service announcements and national campaigns. He continues to assist many states in the development of state associations. Scott also consults with the Department of Criminal Justice Services on many topics to include crime prevention, community policing, terrorism awareness and threat and vulnerability assessments.
• 

  Kendall Neely

  Director of Arts 
  Read More
  Kendall joined the St. Catherine's community in 1998. She first served as the Lower School Dance Teacher and director of the La Petite Joni ensemble. She has since taught dance and choreography in all three divisions of the School and continues to co-direct the Upper School Dance Program and serve as Chair of the Theatre and Dance Department. Prior to becoming Director of Arts, Kendall served from 2013-2023 as the School's Arts Coordinator. During this time she worked to enhance the School's curricular and extra-curricular Arts programs, expand teaching resources and develop community connections and partnerships with local and regional Arts organizations. As Director of Arts, Kendall continues to strive for excellence in programming while fostering a safe, inclusive and inspiring Arts community where the unique voice of each student is recognized, celebrated and appropriately cultivated.
• 

  Dennis Smith

  Director of Information Technology
  Read More
  Dennis holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dramatic Media from the University of Georgia and a Master of Fine Arts degree in 3D Animation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. After working as an animator for several years, he used his skills in computer animation as a bridge to move into the field of information technology. He is a Cisco routing and switching professional with a focus on technologies that will best support teachers, staff and students. He attends education technology conferences each year to ensure St. Catherine’s is meeting modern IT standards and to understand the challenges that schools face among the world of cyber threats. Dennis has been a Director of Information Systems since 2016 and has been with St. Catherine’s School since 2020.
• 

  Jenn Vermillion

  Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning
  Read More
  Jenn came to St. Catherine's in 2015 after serving as the Director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at St. Mark's School in Southborough, Mass. Prior to that, she worked as an educational technologist and the Director of Innovative Teaching and Learning at Springside School in Philadelphia. She has taught students at the elementary, middle and high school levels, and she has served as an adjunct instructor in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is passionate about helping students build their skills, interest and confidence in Computer Science, Robotics and STEM.
• 

  Brian Wachur

  Director of Communications
  Read More
  Brian Wachur has more than 15 years of experience working in education and nonprofit communications. Prior to joining St. Catherine’s, Brian spent five years as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg. 

  
  Brian has worked on communications teams at the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the American Council on Education. He graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in journalism.