Head of School

Douglas Hale is approaching the beginning of his second decade as Mercersburg’s head of school. His tenure at Mercersburg has been marked by remarkable growth in faculty, admission, academic programs, technology, endowment, and the overall physical plant.

Since his appointment in 1997, colleagues and students have raved about Doug’s enthusiasm and willingness to work side by side with the school’s various constituencies. In consultation with the Board of Regents, Doug has helped set in motion academic, physical, and residential improvements that have bolstered Mercersburg’s already-strong curricular requirements and co-curricular standards.

Before coming to Mercersburg, Doug spent 24 years as a faculty member, administrator, and head of school at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from 1973-97.

The valedictorian of his high school class, Doug graduated cum laude from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 1973 with a bachelor of arts in English and American literature in language. At UTC, he served as captain of the basketball team and earned the Doyle May Award (presented to the varsity athlete with the highest academic average) and the Campbell Clinic Scholarship for academic excellence. He received a master of arts in literature from Middlebury College in 1981.

Doug and his wife, Peggy, have two grown children, Douglas and Lauren.