Categorized | News

HPA names new CFO, head of school, staff

MEDIA RELEASE

DAN PETRILL NAMED CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICE

Dan Petrill has been named chief financial officer at Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA). Petrill who currently is the schoolʻs controller, will step into his new role at the school on September 1, 2014. He replaces Robert McKendry, CPA, who recently was named HPAʻs head of school, effective July 1, 2015. McKendry will transition to his head of school-elect position on September 1, 2014.

Petrill joined HPA in 2010. He has a wide range of accounting experience on the island of Hawaii, including controller positions at Hawaiian Abalone Farms, and MacFarms of Hawaii. He previously was chief financial officer and co-owner of Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company. Petrill earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Michigan State University, where he worked for eight years as a senior financial analyst.

NEW STAFF APPOINTMENTS

Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) recently announced the following staff appointments:

Mike Donnelly, an HPA alumnus, has been named assistant director of admission. Donnelly recently retired from the Army after 26 years of service. In his new position, he will be responsible for grades 9-12 admissions, focusing on the Hawaiian Islands and greater Asia-Pacific region. Prior to joining HPA, Donnelly was communications advisor for the U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter on Oahu.

He previously held public affairs, marketing, and public relations positions with Logistics Command (Fort Shafter), 25th Infantry Division (Schofield Barracks and Northern Iraq), and Special Operations Command, Pacific (Camp Smith). Donnelly earned his bachelorʻs degree from Gonzaga University and is pursuing his masterʻs degree in communications from the University of Oklahoma.

Aaron Schorn has been named webmaster. Schorn has been an active member of the HPA community since he arrived on campus in 2013. He has served as dorm parent, tutor, and long-term substitute teacher. He previously was director of business development and government relations at the Wall Street Fund for African Development (WSFAD) in Washington, D.C.

Prior to that he was strategy and operations program officer at Family Health International (FHI 360) in Washington, D.C. He also was project manager/contracts officer for the Bahaʻi World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Schorn earned his bachelorʻs degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES NAMES NEXT HEAD OF SCHOOL

Robert McKendry has been named the 11th head of school at Hawaii Preparatory Academy. Gregory R. Mooers, chairman of the schoolʻs board of trustees.

McKendry will begin his tenure on July 1, 2015, succeeding Lindsay R. Barnes Jr., who is retiring at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. Barnes has led the school since the 2008-2009 school year.

“We are so very pleased that Robert emerged as a truly exceptional candidate,” said Mooers. “Robert’s leadership skills, intellect, and collaborative personality are appreciated by everyone who has worked with him. And his relationship with Lindsay has been marvelous. For the next 14 months, and with the school’s far-reaching strategic plan as their guide, Robert and Lindsay will continue to work closely together on the innovations that are already enriching the HPA Experience as never before and contributing to the fabulous college acceptances we’re now seeing.”

McKendry, a certified public accountant, joined HPA as chief financial officer in 2010 after serving as an independent school business manager and treasurer. He previously held accounting and controller positions in Michigan and California. He holds two bachelorʻs degrees—one in finance and management from the University of Oregon and one in accounting from Baker College.

“In every sense of the word, Robert McKendry is an exceptional human being,” said Barnes. “Robertʻs work ethic, intelligence, moral compass, and his accomplishments at HPA are already the stuff of legend here. His roots in the Waimea community will add greatly to his successes as our next head of school. When I hand the gavel over to Robert, I know I’ll be looking into the eyes of the man who will come to be regarded as the best leader HPA could possibly have chosen at this exciting, innovative time in the school’s history.”

“It is both humbling and inspiring to witness the amazing work our students produce every day in all walks of school life,” said McKendry, whose wife is an HPA alumna; the couple have two children at HPA. “Iʻm excited about, and honored by, the opportunity to serve our HPA community as the next head of school.”

Founded in 1949, Hawaii Preparatory Academy (HPA) is an independent, co-educational college-preparatory boarding and day school that offers a full range of academic and extracurricular opportunities for 632 students in grades K-12 and post-graduate. The school is located on two campuses encompassing 228 acres in the heart of world-famous Parker Ranch on the island of Hawaii. HPA offers a boarding option for students in grades 9-12, and draws its diverse student body from the Hawaiian Islands, 17 other states and U.S. territories, and 18 other countries.

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