MARIETTA — The Walker School recently announced that Megan Howard will be its next Lower School principal beginning July 1. Howard will lead a team of 43 faculty and staff members and more than 300 first- through fifth-grade students.

The Marietta private school’s search committee, composed of faculty, administrators, parents and a trustee, conducted an international search, before making the recommendation to hire Howard, who is presently the director of teaching and learning at Trinity School, an Atlanta private school.

“During my time on campus, I was introduced to children, faculty, staff, and parents whose energy and commitment to learning and the school is inspiring,” Howard said.

“I look forward to building upon the strong foundation that is already in place at Walker and leading in ways which advance the mission of the school and its vision for the future.”

Howard has a master’s degree in education leadership from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from the University of Virginia.

She began her career teaching fifth-grade at the Atlanta Youth Academy, a Christian school focused on urban students, before moving to Trinity, where she taught sixth grade.

In 2010, Howard was promoted to director of teaching and learning. She has presented at several conferences and will speak later this month at the National Association of Independent Schools’ annual conference in Seattle. She is a member of the board of trustees at The Schenck School in Atlanta and is actively involved with Atlanta Youth Academy.

“While I am grateful for what the interim team has accomplished, I am excited about the strengths Megan will bring in the areas of curriculum development, leadership and having a 21st century vision for what an outstanding elementary school should look like in terms of teaching and learning,” said Jack Hall, head of The Walker School.

Tripp Kay, chair of Walker’s board of trustees, said, “Megan has a passion for educating elementary school students and she possesses several strengths including being a thoughtful listener, a creative problem solver and a dynamic communicator. Her teaching background and administrative experience working at Trinity as the director of teaching and learning have prepared her for this important role, and we look forward to welcoming her to Walker this summer.”

Andrea Dresdner, a Walker parent involved in the search process, shared her thoughts after meeting Howard.

“Megan is smart, articulate and passionate about education,” Dresdner stated. “She is knowledgeable about the trends in technology, and she has incredible confidence.”

In January, Walker announced that assistant admissions director Brad Brown was selected as the school’s new director of admissions, effective July 1. Brown, a Walker alumnus, has served as assistant director of admissions for the past 12 years.

The school also recently announced that John East will be its next head football coach and assistant athletic director for the Wolverines. East will begin work on July 1. He previously coached at Whitefield Academy in Mableton and The Lovett School in Atlanta.