Jennifer C. Rao
Head of School
A dedicated educator and experienced leader in girls’ education, Jenny C. Rao was named the sixteenth Brearley Head of School in May 2024 and assumed her responsibilities in July 2025. Previously, Ms. Rao served as the head of Emma Willard School, an all-girls boarding and day school in Troy, New York, for grades nine through 12.
At Emma Willard, she developed a strategic plan that integrated innovation, excellence, diversity, inclusion, and well-being into all aspects of the school. She empowered the faculty to enrich the curriculum with new advanced offerings and independent study opportunities. Most recently, she led a record-breaking $175 million capital campaign that expanded the school’s campus to include a performing arts center, additional faculty housing, and increased resources to support student well-being, programmatic initiatives, and faculty innovation.
Before joining Emma Willard, Ms. Rao held various senior leadership roles at Garrison Forest School, an all-girls day and boarding school in Baltimore, Maryland, serving students in grades K through 12. Additionally, Ms. Rao brings more than a decade of classroom teaching experience in Spanish, English, and geography. She has also served on the Board of Trustees of the New York Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS), including two years as vice president and two years as president. In 2021, she chaired the NYSAIS accreditation team for Brearley.
Ms. Rao earned a master's degree in private school leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a graduate of Bates College, where she earned a degree in economics with a minor in French. Born and raised in Mexico City by her Mexican mother and British/American father, she is fluent in Spanish and studied classical ballet for 15 years. She and her husband, Arjun Rao, have two school-aged boys.
