The Potomac School is excited to welcome Mr. Ryan Jordan as the new Head of Upper School. With a lifelong background in independent education, Mr. Jordan brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to fostering a supportive school environment.
Mr. Jordan steps into this role following a year of transition in Potomac’s Upper School leadership. After longtime Head of Upper School Mr. Doug McLane moved into his role as Director of Enrollment Management and Financial Aid, Ms. Sarah Beck served as Interim Head of Upper School, providing steady leadership throughout the past academic year. Now, Mr. Jordan is set to bring his own vision while continuing to build upon the strong foundation already in place.
Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Mr. Jordan has been involved in independent schools since the age of four, first as a student and later as an educator. A commitment to education and service runs deep in his family—his mother was a longtime public school teacher, and his two sisters work as a counselor and therapist, respectively.
Throughout his career, Mr. Jordan has held leadership roles in both day and boarding schools across the country, most recently serving for eleven years as Upper Division Director at Berkeley Preparatory School—a large independent school in Tampa, Florida.
When asked why he chose Potomac, Mr. Jordan highlighted our school’s stellar reputation and strong sense of community.
“I have known of Potomac’s incredible reputation for a very, very long time,” he said. “But when I came to visit, I was…struck not just by the concrete, positive aspects of Potomac, but the intangibles. I could feel the warm community and the great relationships that are in place between students and adults.” Watching from afar, he described feeling the “incredibly welcoming” aspects of the school nestled within an “undoubtedly high-achieving community.”
As he steps into his new role, Mr. Jordan’s top priority is to listen and learn from students, faculty, and staff.
“My goal starting this summer is to meet as many people as I can, begin to form relationships, and to hear…about things people would hope to shift or evolve,” he explained. He emphasized his philosophy of collaboration: “I don’t have a personal agenda coming in—I think that would be a huge mistake.” Instead, Mr. Jordan affirmed his interest in working with students and faculty to identify ways to make an already strong Upper School experience “even better.”
Drawing from his own formative high school years, Mr. Jordan hopes to create an environment where students feel supported and encouraged to grow beyond the pressures of achievement.
“My high school experience changed the whole trajectory of my life,” he said. “I learned the impact that super committed educators and adult mentors can have on teenagers.” He recalled that one of his “biggest takeaways was [learning] the power of students knowing they have advocates and someone in their corner.”
Mr. Jordan is also eager to engage in the ongoing conversations around mental health, academic stress, and student well-being.
“This is an essential question facing top schools around the country,” he noted. As such, he wants to “really make sure that there is an open dialogue” between students and faculty. He emphasized the importance of involving “adults to be educated on the realities of the challenges that high school students, especially at Potomac, are facing.”
“Proactively bringing parents into this conversation,” he remarked, “has proven in my past experience to be very, very helpful.”
On the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Mr. Jordan expressed his desire to learn from ongoing initiatives and work with the community to ensure every student feels valued and heard.
“Everybody has a unique background and a unique story,” he said. He consequently aims to “create an environment where people feel comfortable being their authentic selves” and where everyone can be “seen and heard for who they are.”
When it comes to school traditions, Mr. Jordan is excited about the aspect of engaging the entire K-12 school community.
“I love the fact that you have kindergarten through twelfth grade on one campus,” he stated. “I’d like to really think about some additional cross-divisional opportunities to [create] neat traditions that younger kids can look forward to every year.”
Looking ahead to his first year at Potomac, Mr. Jordan is most eager to meet students, faculty, and families and immerse himself in the community.
He stated he most looks forward to “getting to know all the great people that make up the Potomac community” and to “experience all of that energy and pride that is Potomac.”
As Potomac welcomes Mr. Jordan, students and faculty alike look forward to the fresh perspectives and enthusiasm he will bring to the Upper School. His dedication to student growth, well-being, and community engagement will undoubtedly make a lasting impact.
