Westminster’s Associate Head of School, Nancy Spencer, has been named head of school at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Fla., effective July 1, 2020.
Appointed to the Westminster faculty in 2005, she will have served the Westminster School community for 15 years by the summer of 2020. Throughout, she has brought a wealth of experience from years of teaching, coaching and working in admissions, marketing and college counseling to her role as the associate head of school.
“Although we will miss Nancy, we know that for independent schools to continue to thrive, they must identify leaders with her passion, devotion and wisdom,” said Headmaster Bill Philip in making the announcement to the Westminster community. “As Nancy soars to Shorecrest Preparatory School, she will bring with her plenty of Grit & Grace!”
A graduate of the National Cathedral School for Girls, Nancy received her bachelor’s degree in American studies from Brown University and her master’s degree in American studies from Yale. She also holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School, where she was an F.C. Austin Scholar for exceptional leadership in academic and professional endeavors. She received a Klingenstein Summer Fellowship at Teachers College of Columbia University, and a National Endowment for Humanities fellowship. Formerly the director of admission and financial aid at Bullis School in Potomac, Md., she has also worked at Albuquerque Academy in New Mexico, where she taught and served as assistant college counselor and assistant dean of students, and at The Madeira School near Washington, D.C., where she worked in admissions. She served as Admissions Committee co-chair for the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington.
Nancy and her husband, John Sandoval, who is a member of the Visual and Performing Arts Department at Westminster, are the parents of Stan ’13, a 2017 graduate of Columbia University, and Sally ’15, a senior at Dartmouth College. John was also appointed to the faculty at Westminster in 2005. In addition to teaching Introduction to Studio Art and Digital Arts, he is director of the school’s Chapel Gallery and Hamilton Gallery. In past years, he has chaired the school’s Visual and Performing Arts Department, taught in the History and English departments, and served as head Swimming and Diving coach, as well as overseeing the diving program for several years.
“Simply put, Nancy’s legacy at Westminster has been a family legacy, which has enriched our school community is so many ways,” said Headmaster Philip. “Needless to say, the recent appointments of both Nancy Spencer and Jon Deveaux as heads of schools underscore the extraordinary depth of leadership talent that distinguishes Westminster School. As excited as I am for Nancy, I am very pleased that she will remain at Westminster through the 2019-2020 school year. In the year ahead, we will have plenty of time to celebrate her legacy at Westminster.”