Richard J. O’Hara
Rick O’Hara was recruited to assist the trustees of Eagle’s Nest Foundation in establishing and growing its one-semester academy for tenth graders, the Outdoor Academy of the Southern Appalachians. At the time, he was the deeply respected Head of the High School at the University School in Nashville, Tennessee, a position he held from 1989 to 1997. He also served there as a Spanish teacher, varsity baseball coach, and faculty advisor. He has been an Eagle’s Nest trustee since the early ‘90s.
Rick earned his undergraduate degree from Williams College, majoring in political science and Spanish, and his Master’s in Education from the University of Virginia, majoring in secondary school administration. He is a native of Wilmington, Delaware.
Prior to becoming Head of the High School at USN, Rick was a Spanish teacher, coach, Director of College Counseling, and Director of Community Service, among other roles, at Woodberry Forest School in central Virginia. From 1997 until 2007, he was head of the Wellington School, Columbus, Ohio. Rick became President of The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland in July, 2008. He is a recognized expert in service learning who was appointed a member of the Ohio governor’s Community Service Council, and prior to that, to a similar position in Tennessee.
An experienced educator and administrator, Rick places great emphasis on the broad and balanced education of young people in preparation for college and their lives beyond schooling.
