Dear STA Family:

 

I am pleased to announce that Dr. Joseph Viola will be our next Head of Upper School, effective July 1, 2024. Joe will succeed Dr. Samuel Schaffer when Sam departs on June 30, 2024, to become the next Head of Roxbury Latin School in Boston. 


As part of this leadership transition, and in recognition of the increasing needs and complexity of Upper School life, I have also asked Mr. Brian Schultz, one of our most accomplished teachers, coaches, and deans, to take on a newly created role at St. Albans: Assistant Head of Upper School. 

I am grateful to Joe and Brian for taking on these roles and for building a partnership that will serve our Upper School effectively in the coming years.  

Joe arrived at St. Albans in 2005. During his 18 years at the school, he has served as advisor, faculty member, administrator, counselor, and teacher of teachers. Our Upper School will benefit from his understanding of students and teachers, his insight into how boys learn, and his desire, in his words, “to instill joy, kindness, inclusivity, and civility into a community of learners.” 

Since 2019, Joe has served as our Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, welcoming prospective students, guiding their families through the application process, and building a wonderfully strong and dynamic student body. Joe previously served as Lower School academic dean and holder of the J. Willard Marriott Jr. Chair of Lower School Studies. In this capacity, he was responsible for the scope, sequence, and implementation of the fourth- through eighth-grade curriculum. He began at St. Albans as our psychologist, overseeing student support and testing, providing counseling, and conducting educational programs for parents.

 

In recent years, Joe deftly managed the AIMS accreditation process and helped shape and bring to life our new Teaching and Learning Program. He also helped create our first health and wellness curriculum, developed the Lower School social-emotional curriculum, led faculty professional development days, and headed our Admissions Committees, the Lower School Counseling Committee, and the Lower School Curriculum Committee. Joe received his B.A. in psychology from Georgetown University and his M.A and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Suffolk University. He previously taught at George Washington University, where he was an associate professor of clinical psychology and associate director of the Center Clinic.

Brian Schultz, as Assistant Head of Upper School, will be involved in all aspects of Upper School life, providing critical support and leadership within the division. 

Since 2015, Brian has served with distinction as an Upper School English teacher, Form IV and now Form VI dean, advisor, and a multi-year IAC- and DCSAA-championship-winning head soccer coach. In 2020, STA awarded him the Hall-Hoffman Teacher-Coach Award; the following year, the DCSAA named him boys soccer coach of the year; and in 2022, our senior class honored him as co-recipient of the John F. McCune Faculty Prize. Working with advisors, form deans, students, and fellow faculty in his new role, Brian will bring calm, clarity, and strength to an even wider range of Upper School programs, processes, and activities, while continuing to coach, teach, and serve as form dean. Brian received his B.A. and M.A. in English from Washington College. He previously taught English and coached soccer at Calvert Hall.

 

Please join me in congratulating Joe and Brian and thanking them for agreeing to take on these positions of substantial responsibility in support of our Upper School students and faculty. I also want to extend my thanks to Suzanne Woods, Associate Head of School, and Sherry Rusher, Dean of Faculty, for co-chairing the search process with such thoughtfulness and professionalism.


Headmaster Jason Robinson