It is with great pleasure that I announce the Harker Board of Trustee’s unanimous election of Brian Yager to the position of permanent head of the school. Mr. Yager will officially start on July 1, 2017. He will visit Harker several times in the spring.
We were very fortunate to find Mr. Yager, who has been in education for 26 years. He has experience working with students in pre-K though 12, thus bringing that full range of grade level experience to us. Mr. Yager has worked his way up through the ranks, serving as a teacher, department chair and head of upper school; for the last seven years, he has been the head of school at the Keystone School in San Antonio, Texas, a well-respected school of about 500 students. His educational vision aligns with Harker’s, and he has a personality that will fit in very well with our community.
Brian and his wife, Megan, were very well received by board members and administrators. Megan has a warm and outgoing personality, causing many to whisper to me that she would be a delightful addition to the community. Brian and Megan have three children, one of whom will be joining Harker next year as a sophomore.
Here are some highlights from Mr. Yager’s resume.
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Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1999
M.Ed. with emphases in administration and planning, and technology in education
Columbia University, New York, N.Y., 1995
Klingenstein Summer Fellow
Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., 1991
B.A. in quantitative economics
B.S. with honors and distinction in applied earth sciences – emphasis in land use planning. Commencement award recipient for outstanding undergraduate in the School of Earth Sciences
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Keystone School
San Antonio, Texas
2010 – present
Head of School
Responsible for the oversight and leadership of one of the nation’s most educationally impactful schools, serving 500 students in grades PreK3-12. Areas of emphasis include:
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Unifying institutional efforts and enhancing teamwork of leadership groups
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Inspiring a mindset of continuous growth
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Identifying and promoting the school’s most essential characteristics to its families and to the community at large
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Nurturing, celebrating and enhancing the school’s remarkable culture
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Advancing the efficacy and impact of the board of trustees
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Creating and implementing a five‐year strategic plan that has preserved the culture of the school while significantly enhancing the educational program
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Completing a $5MM capital campaign and constructing a 10,000 square foot state‐of‐the‐art science center and a transformative Alumni Quadrangle
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Initiating an enormously successful preschool program serving students ages 3‐5
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Implementing significant changes to the alumni recognition and development programs
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The Community School
Sun Valley, Idaho
2007 – 2010
Director of the Upper School
Responsible for leading and optimizing all aspects of the educational program for grades 9-12. Specific duties included:
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Aligning program and practices with the school’s mission
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Representing the upper school in various external capacities
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Hiring, retaining, evaluating and managing all teaching faculty
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Overseeing and administering the school’s disciplinary program
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Scheduling classes, teacher assignments and student placement
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Teaming with the head of school, division directors, and administrative council members to optimize the K‐12 program
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Cate School
Carpinteria, Calif.
1991 – 2007
Director of Residential Life
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Responsible for the leadership and development of all residential and extracurricular programs
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Founding director, Cate Summer School
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Conceived and implemented a summer program for middle school students focusing on science, mathematics and technology
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Chair, mathematics department
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Chair, Faculty Advisory Committee
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Faculty coordinator for the WASC/CAIS accreditation process
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Mathematics teacher: Algebra I - AP Calculus (BC)
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Economics teacher: AP Micro and AP Macro Economics
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Human Development teacher and coordinator
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Coach: girls and boys varsity and junior varsity lacrosse, varsity and junior varsity water polo, junior varsity soccer
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Summer School Session faculty member, 1995. Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass.
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Member, Board of Trustees, 2014 – present. Headwaters School, Austin, Texas
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ISAS Standards Committee member, 2013 – present
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ISAS Accreditation Committee Chair, 2015. Bosque School, Albuquerque, N.M.
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We believe the entire community will be impressed with Mr. Yager, and delighted at what he will bring to the Harker community as our new permanent head of school.
Diana Nichols
Chair, Harker Board of Trustees
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