Dr. Elinor Scully is the 12th Head of National Cathedral School. She came to NCS in July 2021 after completing eight years of service as Head of The Langley School, a preschool-to-8th-grade school in McLean, Va.

With more than 20 years of both classroom and administrative experience, Dr. Scully is a nationally recognized thought leader on independent education and, in particular, on social and emotional learning. An expert in childhood and adolescent development, she has consulted with more than 40 independent schools and written for numerous publications on the topics of gender, sexuality education, and social and emotional learning.

Prior to assuming the headship of The Langley School, Dr. Scully served with distinction for eight years at NCS as head of the Upper School, assistant head of school, and associate head of school. She began her career in 1990 as a family life education teacher at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Va., subsequently taking positions as chair of the family life education department and associate director of the Upper School before moving to NCS in 2005.

A Falls Church, Va., native, she holds a PhD and an MS in education from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in English from the University of Virginia. She currently serves on the Board of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington.