Leadership Letter

Friday, October, 31, 2025

Happy Halloween

Returning to the DMV Independent School Alliance meeting sponsored by Mr. Shelton Higgins at Stone Ridge. Still room for others if the date aligns with schedules. There are eighteen FMS who are slated to attend. If an issue arises on campus before the meeting, simply advise and we can alert the caterer.

The open forum discussion will be rooted in: succession planning; school leadership search insights; new school checklist; and facilities staff professional development training. 

Shelton Higgins, Director of Facilities

9101 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814

Friday, November 14, 2025 @ 11 AM – 1 PM

Hamilton House in the large parlor

On other campuses: welcome Vin Harkins, the director of facilities at Holton-Arms; Vin arrives from American University having served as the assistant vice president of facilities for fourteen years. Please welcome back Dennis Shores, who arrived this month as the new director of facilities at Landon School; Dennis was the director of facilities at LaSalle University in Philadelphia before departing for Episcopal High School. Joseph Clarke is the newest director of facilities at the Cathedral School; Joseph was the associate director of facilities at Landon working alongside Mike Sopher who retired earlier this month. Glen Pedersen at McLean School announced that he is retiring this summer; it’s unlikely that there was a project on campus that Glen did not tackle himself. The Stone House Group is charged with hiring the new director of facilities at Madeira School; Jim Pollack, the soon-to-be former director of facilities, shares that this will be his final retirement. While Mike Huber — not unlike Shohei Ohtani — works both sides of the mound at Stone House Group, and the director of facilities at the LAB School; the Stone House Group will lead the search for the LAB School.

Neal Helm, Program Chair