The National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) is pleased to announce the elections of The Rev. Christopher Duncan and The Rev. Brandt L. Montgomery, D.Min. to the NAES Governing Board. Each will begin a three-year term commencing on July 1, 2024.
“Christopher and Brandt bring decades of experience in school and parish ministry to the Governing Board” said the Rev. David A. Madison, D.Min., NAES Executive Director. “We look forward to the important perspectives they will offer to NAES and Episcopal schools nationally.” Silvia Larrauri, NAES Governing Board President and Head of School at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Day School (Coconut Grove, FL), added: “It is my delight to welcome Christopher and Brandt. Their commitment and service to Episcopal education is such a blessing, and we are so grateful for their willingness to serve in this capacity.”
The Rev. Christopher Duncan is Rector of St. James Episcopal Church and Day School in Baton Rouge, LA, where he has worked to build a strong partnership between the church and the school. At St. James, he has overseen a critical period of revitalization and expansion, stabilizing enrollment and expanding the school by 20%. A product of Episcopal education himself, he attended Calvary Episcopal School in Richmond, TX Prior to this, he served at St. Paul’s in Katy, TX, and Good Shepherd in Austin, TX. He holds degrees from Texas A&M University and Virginia Theological Seminary. He also serves on several committees and boards including chair of the Diocesan Vitality Initiative for the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge.
The Rev. Brandt L. Montgomery, D.Min. is Chaplain of Saint James School in Hagerstown, MD and Vicar of Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Boonsboro, MD. He has previously held positions at Episcopal Church of the Ascension and Ascension Episcopal School in Lafayette, LA, and was the Curate at Canterbury Episcopal Chapel and Student Center at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. He holds a Master of Divinity (with Honors) from The General Theological Seminary in New York City, for which he wrote the thesis Time’s Prisoner: The Right Reverend Charles Colcock Jones Carpenter and the Civil Rights Movement in the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama. In 2021, he received the Doctor of Ministry degree from the School of Theology at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, writing on The Development of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Saint James School of Maryland.
Also beginning new terms on the Governing Board in 2024 are David L. Baad, Head of School at The Episcopal School of Dallas in Dallas, TX, and Cynthia Gibbs-Wilborn, Head of School at Beauvoir, The National Cathedral Elementary School in Washington, DC. David joined the board by special election in 2023 and now begins his first regular term. Cynthia is beginning her second term, having joined the board in 2021.
As NAES prepares to welcome Christopher and Brandt, it also is grateful for the work of the board members whose terms are coming to an end. Canon A. Burns Jones is Headmaster at Cathedral School for Boys in San Francisco, CA and joined the Governing Board in 2018, serving two terms. NAES is especially grateful for Burns’ support in hosting the 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Conference at Cathedral School. The Rev. Julia E. Whitworth, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Indianapolis, IN, also served two terms beginning in 2018. NAES offers a special congratulations to Julia on her recent election to serve as the 17th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.
The National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) is an independently incorporated, voluntary membership organization that supports, serves, and advocates for the vital work and ministry of those who serve nearly 800 Episcopal schools and early childhood education programs throughout the Episcopal Church, as well as school establishment efforts. Chartered in 1965, with historic roots dating to the 1930s, NAES is the only pre-collegiate educational association that is both national in scope and Episcopal in character. The Association advances Episcopal education and strengthens Episcopal schools through essential services, resources, conferences, and networking opportunities on Episcopal school identity, leadership, and governance, and on the spiritual and professional development of school leaders. For additional information, call (800) 334-7626, ext. 6134, or (212) 716-6134; or email info@episcopalschools.org; or visit www.episcopalschools.org.