List of 10 items.

• Ken Aldridge

  Head of School 
  B.A., College of Wooster
  M.C.E., University of Pennsylvania
  At Friends since 2014
  kaldridge@wilmingtonfriends.org
  

   

  Before being appointed Head of School, Ken began his career at Wilmington Friends as the Assistant Head for Academics and International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator.
  
  

  Ken earned a B. A. in Chemistry from the College of Wooster and a Masters of Chemistry Education from the University of Pennsylvania. He began his teaching career at George School, where he taught science in the International Baccalaureate Program, coached swimming and tennis, served as Assistant Dean of Students, and was awarded the Price Teaching Chair for Young Faculty. In 1996, Ken moved to Germantown Friends, where, prior to his administrative role as Middle School Principal, he headed the Science Department and received the American Chemical Society’s (Philadelphia Section) Excellence in Teaching Award.
  
  

  As an active Quaker, Ken serves as a trustee for Friends Council on Education and is a former trustee of the Kendal System. He serves on the boards of the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS), Independent School Data Exchange (INDEX), and the College of Wooster. Ken recently served as a faculty member for the National Association of Independent School’s (NAIS) Aspiring Heads Fellowship program. Ken is also the former Chair of the Board for Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, an organization that “provides disadvantaged students from Philadelphia’s under-resourced schools with the education and supports they need to access higher education.” Ken and his wife, Cassandra, have three children; two are Friends graduates.

   

  
  
  

• Melissa Brown

  Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

  B.S. from Boston University

  At Friends since 2000

  mbrown@wilmingtonfriends.org

  
  Prior to being appointed Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Melissa served as our Associate Director of Admissions and Financial Aid with a focus on lower school. A graduate of a Quaker school, she has over 20 years of professional experience in enrollment. Melissa and her husband, William, have three children, including one who is a WFS alum.
  
  
  

• ShaQuan Buffaloe

  Director of Finance and Operations
  B.B.A., Eastern University
  M.B.A., Springfield College
  At Friends since 2023
  sbuffaloe@wilmingtonfriends.org
  
  

  ShaQuan is an accomplished financial leader, having assumed pivotal roles within the non-profit sector. She served as the Senior Vice President of Finance at the YMCA of Delaware for eight years, Senior Accounting Manager at the Public Health Management Corporation for seven years and Accounting Manager at the Community Council for Mental Health for five years.  ShaQuan also proudly serves as a member of the National Association of Black Accountants. Her contributions also extend to the William Penn School District's Educational Foundation, where she holds the role of Treasurer, continuing to drive substantial positive impact within her community. ShaQuan and her husband, Derrick, are proud parents of two accomplished daughters, both of whom are alumni of the Universities of Pittsburgh and West Chester.
  
  
  

• Erica Childs

  Director of Equity, Justice, Community and Engagement

  B.S. University of Maryland Baltimore County

  Ph.D. University of California Los Angeles
  At Friends since 2016

  echilds@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Prior to her role as Director of Equity, Justice, Community and Engagement, Erica served as a mathematics teacher in the Upper School. Additionally she served as 9th and 10th grade clerk, member of the upper school diversity committee, faculty sponsor for the Black Student Union, and founder and coordinator of the READ Journal Clubs (Read and Educate ourselves on Anti-Racism and Diversity). Before joining WFS, she conducted statistical genetics research at Johns Hopkins University. Erica is originally from Abington, PA. She and her husband have two children, one of whom is a student at WFS.
  
  
  

• Susan Morovati Finizio ’87

  Director of Communications and Strategic Marketing
  B.S., Boston University
  M.B.A., University of Delaware
  At Friends 1999-2002
  2006-present
  sfinizio@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Susan originally joined the staff of Wilmington Friends in 1999 as Director of Communications. In 2002, she left the workforce to stay home with her children and work as a freelance graphic designer. She rejoined WFS in 2006 as Family Resource Coordinator and, in 2011, gained additional responsibilities as the School's Environmental Stewardship Coordinator. She was subsequently appointed Strategic Marketing Manager in the summer of 2013 and to her current role in the spring of 2017. Prior to joining Friends, Susan worked as Design Manager in the Marketing Department of Wilmington Trust Company. She currently serves on the Board of Jewish Family Services (JFS). Susan and her husband, JC, are the parents of two Friends alums, Olivia and Johnny.
  
  
  

• Edward J. Gallagher III Ed.D.

  Assistant Head of School for Academics & and International Baccalaureate (IB) Coordinator.
  B.A., Temple University

  Ed.M., Holy Family University

  Ed.D., University of Pennsylvania 

  At Friends since 2022
  egallagher@wilmingtonfriends.org
  
  Ed began his teaching career in 2004 at Girard College as an Upper School Social Studies teacher. A proud graduate of Girard, Ed worked in several roles over his decade-plus years of service to his alma mater, including Elementary School teacher, Academic Coordinator, Upper School Dean of Students. He also coached varsity soccer and softball.  In 2010 Ed earned his Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from Holy Family University and was recently awarded the 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award from HFU.  
  
  

  “My Deeds Must Be My Life” is the credo of Stephen Girard, the Founder of Girard College, and Ed’s dedication to service has been at the forefront of all of his personal and professional endeavors, especially his beloved Alumni Associations of Temple, HFU, the University of Pennsylvania, and of course Girard.  

  In 2014, while pursuing his doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, Ed accepted a position as the Head of Middle School at AIM Academy, where he more recently served as the Interim Head of School from 2020 until joining Friends in July of this year.  Ed’s wife, Rachel, and son, Edward IV, have been living in the Wilmington area since 2020 and "Little Eddie" has just finished his first year of preschool at Friends.
  
  
  

• Jonathan Huxtable

  Head of Middle School
  B.A., Haverford College
  Ed.M., Harvard University Graduate School of Education
  At Friends 1993-2002
  2012-present
  jhuxtable@wilmingtonfriends.org
  
  Jonathan Huxtable, an active Quaker, became Head of Middle School at Friends in July 2012 and returned to his role as varsity baseball head coach in 2018; he had previously served the School as a teacher and coach from 1993-2002, and as Middle School Dean for Students from 1999-2002. After serving for two years as Director of Development for the Genesee Valley Outdoor Learning Center (MD), Jon became the founding head of Friends School of Harford (MD), where over an eight-year tenure, he led the school's expansion from a single grade to a vibrant K-8 program. Jon serves as Treasurer on the board and on the HR and finance committees of Kendal-Crosslands Continuing Care Retirement Communities and as the DISC representative on the executive board of the Delaware Baseball Coaches Association. He served on the Board of the Maryland Center for Character Education, the United Way of Central Maryland, as a member of the Heads Support and Evaluation Committee at Friends School of Mullica Hill, and as a member of the Harvard Club of Delaware Education Scholarship Committee. Jon met his late wife, Christine, a Friends School of Baltimore alum, at WFS in 1997. Their youngest is a current WFS student and their oldest a recent WFS graduate. In 2021, Jon married WFS alum, Kelly Bush Huxtable ’87, whose oldest daughter is also a recent WFS grad and youngest is in high school.
  
   

• Chris Loeffler

  Interim Head of Lower School
  B.A., Swarthmore College
  M.Ed.M, Arcadia University
  At Friends 1993-2002
  2005-present
  cloeffler@wilmingtonfriends.org
  
  Chris Loeffler started as Interim Head of Lower School in July of 2023, and previously served as Assistant Head of Lower School from 2017-2023, lower school teacher from 2005-2017, and coach of multiple sports from 2005-2020. As a teacher, Chris brought innovative learning opportunities to his students, such as Genius Hour. He also helped organize and presented at multiple EdCamps in Delaware and Pennsylvania. As the Assistant Head of Lower School, Chris helped initiate the use of Design Thinking across the campus. In the Spring of 2022, Chris completed the Friends Council on Educations Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Education. Recently, Chris served on the Board of Delaware FC Soccer Club in Hockessin, Delaware. Chris met his wife, Jill, as camp counselors at The School in Rose Valley. They are the parents of one current WFS student. 
  
   

• J.R. Neiswender

  Head of Upper School

  A.B., Princeton University

  M.A., Teacher’s College, Columbia University

  At Friends since 2024

  
  J.R. joined Friends after four years serving as Head of Upper School at The New School in Fayetteville, AR.  At The New School, J.R. was able to take a fledgling upper school and implement curricular, experiential, and wellness programming to support the growth of their developing high school program.  He presented on his wellness program at the ISACS Annual Conference in 2023, and previously served as a founding board member of The SEED Foundation, which created the first inner-city, charter boarding school in the nation in Washington, D.C. His career has spanned over 30 years at various independent schools, including two previous Quaker schools, not only as a history teacher and coach, but also as a Director of College Counseling for over 20 of those years.  J.R. and his wife, Jane Ann, are the proud parents of three adult children, Morgan, Ashley, and Patrick.
  
   

• Chad O'Kane

  Director of Development
  B.A., James Madison University
  M.A., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
  At Friends since 2012
  cjokane@wilmingtonfriends.org

   

  Before being appointed as Director of Development, Chad served as Director of Capital & Endowment Giving at Friends, working to enrich the School's major gifts and planned giving programs. Chad is a member of AFP (Association of Fund Raising Professionals), and was honored with the AFP-Brandywine Chapter's 2013 "Rising Star Award" for his development work at Friends. in addition to his work at Friends, Chad serves on the education committee of the NAACP Main Line Branch.  He and his wife, Laura, have two children.