Dear St. Anne's-Belfield Community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Autumn A. Graves as the next Head of School of St. Anne's-Belfield, effective July 1, 2020. Autumn will join us from Girls Preparatory School (GPS) in Chattanooga, Tenn., where she has been Head of School since 2014.
The Board of Trustees is excited about Autumn's experience, thoughtfulness, and passion for educating children. We unanimously believe she is the right choice to lead St. Anne's-Belfield and to continue to build on our national reputation for academic excellence.
Autumn grew up in Richmond and, after graduating from Collegiate School, received her bachelor's degree in Rhetoric and Communications Studies with a minor in History from the University of Virginia. She earned a master's degree in Educational Administration from Columbia University and a doctoral degree in Higher Education Management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Girls Preparatory School is one of the oldest and most highly regarded independent schools in Tennessee. Founded in 1906, the School serves more than 550 girls in Grades 6 - 12 and is affiliated with the all-boys McCallie School. Before assuming her current role, Autumn held leadership positions at several prestigious independent schools, including Upper School Dean at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., Assistant Principal at Friends Seminary in New York, and President of Girard College in Philadelphia.
Autumn has a passion for community involvement. The Mad, Bad, and Dangerous entrepreneurship program she co-created at GPS engages the entire Chattanooga region and is fully funded through community resources, including foundations and sponsorships. Autumn is also an engaged and active member of the community. She currently serves as a trustee for the Women's Fund of Greater Chattanooga, The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chancellor's Advisory Roundtable, and the Creative Discovery Museum. Additionally, she is involved in supporting independent schools through her board service for The Heads Network and the Southern Association of Independent Schools. Autumn has received numerous awards during her career, including Philadelphia Business Journal's "40 under 40" in 2011 and O Magazine's "Women to Watch for the Decade List" in 2010.
Autumn is married to R. Vann Graves. After a long and successful advertising career in New York at BBDO and McCann Erickson, Vann is currently the Executive Director of Brandcenter, a master's degree program in Advertising, Business, and Marketing at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a graduate of Howard University and received master's degrees from the Pratt Institute and Harvard University. Vann is a Fulbright Scholar and a decorated combat veteran. Autumn and Vann have two children, William (4) and Chloe (2), who we look forward to welcoming as students at St. Anne's-Belfield School next fall.
The Board would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone in the community for your patience during this search process. We wish to express particular gratitude to the members of the Search Committee and to Liz Stoner, who all served our community tirelessly over the past few months to identify and recruit the best possible candidates. This group's energy and enthusiasm for the School was inspiring to the Board as well as to the candidates, who were universal in their appreciation for the dedication and thoughtfulness of the Committee.
Please join us in welcoming Autumn, Vann, William, and Chloe Graves to the St. Anne's-Belfield community. We are excited about the future of the School and look forward to introducing you to Autumn during a brief visit this week and over the next few months.
Sincerely,
Franklin S. Edmonds, Jr.
Chair of the Board of Trustees
