Northfield Mount Hermon Welcomes Stacey Johnson

Stacey Johnson

GILL — Northfield Mount Hermon (NMH) announced that, effective July 1, Stacey Johnson will join the school’s senior leadership team as chief financial and operations officer, a role central to advancing NMH’s strategic priorities and strengthening the operational foundation that supports student life.

Known for aligning financial strategy with mission-driven growth, Johnson has led complex institutions through periods of transformation, modernization, and strategic investment while overseeing up to $500 million in financial resources. She comes to NMH from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she served as chief financial officer from 2022 to the spring of 2025. At the Kennedy Center, she directed all finance, accounting, planning, and federal contracting functions.

Prior to that, she was chief financial officer of the American Federation of Teachers, a national labor union, where she developed new, modernized systems and executed strategies to help AFT grow its reserves tenfold during her tenure. She also served as chief financial officer for Alexandria City Public Schools in Virginia, where she garnered the confidence and trust of the School Board, City Council, and broader community, receiving nationally recognized awards from the Assoc. of School Business Officials and the Government Finance Officers Assoc.

As NMH’s chief financial and operations officer, Johnson will provide leadership, oversight, and stewardship for all aspects of the school’s financial resources and physical assets, ensure institutional integrity on fiscal matters, and promote best practices in finance and administration. She will partner with others on the senior leadership team to ensure that approved strategic initiatives are appropriately funded and will serve as staff liaison to the NMH board of trustees’ finance; investment; buildings and grounds; and audit, risk, and compliance committees.

“We met with candidates from around the country, and Stacey distinguished herself as a leader with a deep sense of purpose, a passion for our mission, and a demonstrated ability to apply her considerable experiences and judgment to advance the organizations where she has led,” NMH Head of School Brian Hargrove said.

Monie Hardwick, chair of the NMH board of trustees, added that “Stacey has a long-standing commitment to education and nonprofits. The trustees are confident that she will build on the momentum of the current campaign, continuing to ensure Northfield Mount Hermon is on the strongest possible foundation for the future.”

Early in her career, Johnson also held finance positions at Conservation International, the National Academies, and the Urban Institute. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Miami and an MBA from George Washington University.

She joins NMH upon the retirement of Mary McEneany, assistant head of school for finance and operations and chief operating officer since 2019. In the last seven years, NMH’s endowment has doubled to more than $280 million, capital project investments have exceeded $75 million, and the school has increased annual financial aid allocations by 55%. In addition, faculty compensation and employment retirement contributions have increased by 33%.