About

Head of School

    • Dr. Laura Leathers

      Eugene McDermott Head of School

Dr. Laura Leathers

The Hockaday Board of Trustees named Dr. Laura Leathers as the  Eugene McDermott Head of School, effective January 1, 2023.   
 
Dr. Leathers served as the Interim Eugene McDermott Head of School from July 2022 - December 2022, and previously served as the Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs since 2020. She was responsible for supporting the Division Heads and the Dean of Studies, in addition to faculty-led initiatives, committees, and workgroups. Prior to joining Hockaday, she spent 16 years at St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Memphis, Tennessee as the Assistant Head of School. Laura and her husband Kevin are the parents of five children, including Ella (Hockaday Class of 2023). 

Dr. Leathers earned a Bachelor of Arts in Biochemistry and French from Lafayette College and studied abroad at the Université de Grenoble. After graduating, she earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmacology degree from the University of Vermont and conducted her postdoctoral work as a Research Fellow at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
 
Throughout her career, she has been dedicated to research and has authored numerous scientific publications, presented at STEM and other education conferences, and actively participates in leadership seminars focused on best practices in girls’ education. Dr. Leathers treasures working with students and being in the classroom. She has taught science courses including biology, chemistry, and AP chemistry, and continues to teach a section of chemistry at Hockaday. 








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