On behalf of the Board of Trustees, it is my great pleasure to announce that Trip Cogburn has been appointed our new Head of School, effective July 1, 2023. The Board’s unanimous decision to select Cogburn as the twelfth Head of School at Chesapeake Academy followed the enthusiastic and unanimous recommendation of the Search Committee after an eight-month search process.

Our next Head of School comes to us from Carolina Day School in Asheville, North Carolina, where he has served in a variety of teaching and leadership roles since 2012—most recently as Upper School Principal. Prior to that, he served as Director of Admission & Enrollment Management, and as a grade dean, teacher, coach, and athletic administrator. From 2002 to 2012, Trip served as a college basketball coach at UNC Asheville and Mars Hill University. Cogburn graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in English and secured a masters in Innovative Leadership and Entrepreneurship from Western Carolina University. In 2021, he was selected as a Fellow in the National Association of Independent Schools’ Aspiring Heads program, one of only five education leaders selected from the Southeast of the United States.

Cogburn will succeed Julianne Duvall, who has skillfully led the Chesapeake Academy community for six years, the culmination of an accomplished 15-year career at the school. Prior to that, Duvall was a parent, trustee and officer, and CAPPA president. Julie, the administration team, and all faculty will work closely with Cogburn in the months ahead to ensure a seamless transition of leadership.

We look forward to also welcoming Trip‘s family to our community: wife, Stacie Cogburn; son, Oliver (12); and daughter, Ellis Rose (7).

Cogburn was selected from an impressive pool of candidates following a comprehensive national search led by the highly regarded independent schools consultant firm, The Education Group. The Search Committee, composed of current and past trustees and board officers, current and past parents, our current Head of School, and past faculty deserves our deepest thanks for working so diligently to help us successfully complete the selection of the next Head of School. We are grateful for their tireless effort, as well as for the support of the entire Chesapeake Academy community throughout this process.

With gratitude,

Ron Mihills
Board of Trustees Chair
Search Committee Co-Chair

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