The Westminster Schools has appointed Jay Rainey as its next president, according to a news release from the Buckhead private school.
He will assume the role on July 1, succeeding Keith Evans, who is retiring after 12 years at Westminster and more than three decades of independent school leadership.
Rainey was unanimously selected to serve as the school’s next president by the Board of Trustees following a nationwide search. A Search Committee of the Board spearheaded the process in partnership with Carney Sandoe and Associates, an internationally recognized education search and recruitment firm.
“We are excited to welcome Jay to Westminster,” Katharine Kelley, Chair of Westminster’s Board of Trustees, said in a statement. “His track record of transformational leadership, coupled with his inspiring strategic vision, makes him the ideal person to lead our school into the future.”
Since 2019, Rainey has served as Head of School at Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School (MICDS). Under his leadership, the Missouri school spearheaded a campus development effort totaling nearly $50 million in improvements, launched a winter term program, prioritized diversity among faculty and staff, and achieved high levels of family engagement and community trust.
Prior to his work in St. Louis, Rainey was head of school at Randolph School in Huntsville, AL, where he led the development of a strategic plan and campus master plan, and oversaw the acquisition of a school for dyslexic learners. He also spent more than a decade at Norfolk Academy in Virginia, advancing through roles from teacher and college counselor to Assistant Head for Academic Affairs.
“From the moment I stepped on Westminster’s campus, I felt the same energy and purpose that has defined my most rewarding years in education,” Rainey said in a statement. “I am honored and excited to serve as the school’s next President. Westminster has a longstanding tradition of excellence, developing leaders who are connected with their community and the world. I look forward to building on the school’s strong foundation and working collaboratively to shape Westminster’s path forward.”
Rainey holds an undergraduate degree in religion from Princeton University and a master’s degree in American Studies from the College of William and Mary. He and his wife Ruth have two children.
