Search Committee Members Announced

The following stakeholders have been named to the Head of School Search Committee: 
Ms. Margaret Carton (Search Committee Co-Chair)
Ms. Lynda White (Search Committee Co-Chair)
Ms. Laura Anderson - Lower School Faculty Member
Mr. Jon Barnwell '92 - Trustee and Alumnus
Mr. Niles Bolton - Trustee
Dr. Erika Farr - Head of the Upper School
Mr. Steve Gilliam '66 - Trustee and Alumnus
Mr. Sean Lakey - Fine and Performing Arts Faculty Member
Ms. Nehlia McIntyre - Middle School Faculty Member
Mr. John Underwood - Trustee and Current Parent
Mr. Ritchie Williams - Trustee
The Rev. Dr. George Wirth - Trustee
The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright - Trustee and Current Parent
 
Ms. Laura Schott is the staff liaison for the committee. 

Click "Read More" for bios of the Search Committee members
Ms. Margaret Carton (Search Committee Co-Chair) - Chair of Board of Trustees
Granddaughter of the late H.L. Fry, RGNS’s first farm manager, Ms. Carton has a legacy at Rabun Gap. She is a resident of Cashiers, NC and retired senior executive with Coca-Cola Enterprises. Ms. Carton has been Chair of Rabun Gap’s Board of Trustees since 2010 and has been a member of the Board since 2002, where she has served as Vice Chair of the Board and chair of various committees, including strategic planning  and finance.
 
Ms. Lynda White (Search Committee Co-Chair)- Trustee
Ms. White brings over four decades of experience in education to the Search Committee. She served as Interim Head of the Middle School from 2015-2016 before joining the Rabun Gap Board of Trustees in 2016. She is chair of the School’s long-range planning committee. Her background in education includes service as Superintendent of Schools in Butts County, GA, as well as administrative and teaching positions in schools in Wisconsin, Illinois and Georgia. Ms. White lives in Clayton.

Ms. Laura Anderson- Lower School Faculty Member
Ms. Anderson teaches third grade at the Evelyne Sheats Lower School and  has served in various roles throughout her career from classroom teacher to Student Support Coordinator. After earning her master’s degree from Georgia State,  she went on to continue her work in Georgia public schools and eventually joined The Little School in Clarkesville, GA. Mrs. Anderson lives in Dillard, GA.
 
Mr. Jon Barnwell ’92- Trustee and Alumnus
Mr. Barnwell is an active Rabun Gap alum and works as a realtor with RE/MAX of Rabun. Jon Barnwell has worked as a Realtor in Rabun County for more than a decade, having first moved to the area from Atlanta in 1986. He is a 1992 graduate of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School and joined the Board of Trustees in 2015. He  is active on the board’s facilities committee.
 
Mr. Niles Bolton- Trustee
Mr. Niles Bolton established the Atlanta-based architectural firm Niles Bolton Associates in 1975 and today he and his partners direct a company ranked among the top 50 US architectural firms. Mr. Bolton has been a member of Rabun Gap’s Board of Trustees serving as a vital member since 1997 and chair of various committees including campaign, facilities, and strategic planning.  A long time supporter and leader at Rabun Gap, Mr. Bolton is the namesake of our Middle School campus established in 2013.

Dr. Erika Farr- Head of the Upper School
Dr. Farr holds a Doctorate in English Literature from Emory University. Prior to joining Rabun Gap in 2015, she served as the director of the digital archive at Emory, and also served as an instructor in writing and English Literature at Emory.  She was chair of the English Department at Rabun Gap before being appointed to Head of the Upper School in 2017. Dr. Farr and her husband, Ken Klimasewski, and their two children live on campus.
 
Mr. Steve Gilliam ’66- Trustee and Alumnus
Mr. Gilliam is an attorney with the distinguished firm of Smith Gilliam Williams & Miles in Gainesville, GA and is active as a volunteer leader in many causes across Northeast Georgia . He is the first alumni in school history to have chaired the Board of Trustees (2007-2010). Mr. Gilliam was elected to the Board of Trustees in 1999 and has been active on various committees including risk management and finance.

Mr. Sean Lakey- Fine and Performing Arts Faculty Member
Mr. Lakey has been a member of the Rabun Gap faculty since 2012, serving as the Artistic Director in the Fine & Performing Arts Department and working with our drama, musical, and cirque performances. He has worked professionally in theater for over 15 years and has been involved with over 100 productions in all capacities.  He holds a BFA from Western Carolina University. Sean and his wife Michelle live on campus.
 
Ms. Nehlia McIntyre- Middle School Faculty Member
Nehlia McIntyre is a seasoned science and math teacher with a M.S. in Science Education from Georgia State University. She teaches eighth-grade science and a section of Advanced Math I at the Middle School. Mrs. McIntyre, who joined the faculty in 2016, also helps in the Middle School athletic and cirque programs. She lives on campus in the dorms.
 
Mr. John Underwood- Trustee and Current Parent
Mr. Underwood is owner of  JW Underwood Construction, which specializes in custom home building in the Cashiers and Highlands areas of NC. He is an active resident in the Highlands community, participating in many civic and community initiatives. Mr. Underwood joined the Board of Trustees in 2009 and is chair of the facilities committee.

Mr. Ritchie Williams- Trustee
Mr. Ritchie Williams is the great-grandson of Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School founder Andrew Jackson Ritchie. Mr. Williams lives in Atlanta and has worked in the technology industry and, most recently, in philanthropy. Mr. Williams was co-chair of the Share Our Table Campaign, which raised over $7.2 million for the New Community Dining Hall. He has been a Trustee since 2011 and held leadership roles on the development and campaign Committees.
 
The Rev. Dr. George Wirth- Trustee
The Rev. Dr. George Wirth is Pastor Emeritus of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, where he served as senior pastor for 23 years, retiring in 2013. He has been a member of Rabun Gap’s Board of Trustees since 2013, and serves asChair of Governance committee and Mountain Legacy Giving committee which focuses on growing the endowment through estate planning gifts. An active leader in a number of ministries and outreaches, he also serves on the Board of Trustees for Princeton Theological Seminary.

The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright- Trustee and Current Parent
The Right Rev. Robert C. Wright is the 10th bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, and has been a member of Rabun Gap’s Board of Trustees since 2015. He is an active member of the board’s governance and long-range planning committee.  In the Diocese of Atlanta, in addition to serving as the dean of the Mid-Atlanta Convocation, he has chaired the Commission on Ministry, the deputation to the General Convention, and served as youth dean at Camp Mikell.
 
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Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School

339 Nacoochee Drive, Rabun Gap, Georgia 30568
706-746-7467 | 800-543-7467
rabungap@rabungap.org
Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School is a private, coeducational day and boarding school for grades Pre-K through 12. Centrally located between Atlanta, GA, Greenville, SC, and Asheville, NC, we prepare young people for college, career, and a lifetime of leadership and service.