Our People

Every day, The Langley School’s leaders apply their passion and expertise to shaping the exceptional Langley experience for our students and families. We’re proud and honored to introduce you to our leadership team:

Dr. Elinor Scully
Head of School

A nationally recognized expert in childhood and adolescent development, Dr. Scully came to us from the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC, where she served as assistant head of school, director of the Upper School, and then associate head of school before becoming head of The Langley School in July 2013. She began her career in 1991 as a family life education teacher at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, VA, subsequently taking positions as chair of the Family Life Education Department and associate director of the Upper School before moving to NCS in 2005.

Throughout her career, Dr. Scully’s work has focused intensively on curriculum development, multicultural and sexuality education, parent education, creating an intentionally nurturing school climate, and building leadership within the faculty, staff, and student body. She has consulted with more than 40 independent schools and written for numerous publications on the topics of gender, sexuality education, and social and emotional learning. She currently serves as president of the Elementary School Heads Association and on the Virginia Association of Independent Schools Board of Directors.

Dr. Scully holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in education from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.

Phil Petru
Assistant Head of School

Mr. Petru joined The Langley School in 2015, after serving for four years as head of Cape Cod Academy in Osterville, MA. Previously, he served as principal of Memorial Middle School in Medford, NJ, and assistant principal of Carusi Middle School in Cherry Hill, NJ. He also taught social studies and coached soccer at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, NJ—and both teaching and coaching have remained lifelong priorities.

A renowned expert on curriculum development, Mr. Petru is a sought-after speaker on topics including service learning, strengthening student engagement, and shaping achievement through the school environment. His work at Langley focuses on ensuring rigor and relevance in the curriculum; developing new, student-centered courses promoting leadership, entrepreneurship, and other essential capacities for a global future; and helping build and maintain Langley’s exceptional faculty development programs.

Mr. Petru holds an M.S. in educational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. from Wake Forest University.

Greg Bokman
Chief Financial Officer

Greg is a CPA and brings 25 years of financial experience to Langley, having served the past four years as the CFO at the Washington International School (WIS). Prior to WIS, Greg was the CFO for the Smithsonian Institution’s commercial organization and has also held financial roles at AOL, Black & Decker, and Deloitte.

He is active in youth sports in his community, coaching basketball and baseball and serving on the board of his local Little League organization. Greg and his wife spend their weekends cheering on their two sons at athletic events, spending time with family and friends, and squeezing in travel when time allows.

Mr. Bokman received his B.S. from University of Maryland-College Park.

Ayesha Flaherty
Head of Enrollment Management & Communications

Ms. Flaherty combines 20 years of experience in marketing and communications with a lifelong interest in education. She joined Langley in 2014 to lead admissions, communications, and digital efforts. Since then, her role has expanded to also oversee Langley's Summer Studio and after-school programs.

With an extensive background in change management, her work at Langley includes creating new ways to communicate with current parents and the broader community and influencing the current strategic plan. But her greatest joy comes from identifying and recruiting students who can truly thrive in Langley’s preschool through grade 8 program.

Born in England and with family spread across the globe, Ms. Flaherty shares a love of travel and international cuisine with her husband and two young sons.

Ms. Flaherty received her M.S. from Northwestern University in integrated marketing communications and her B.S. from the University of Virginia. She currently serves as a faculty member for the Enrollment Management Association's Admission Training Institute.

Leslie Hettinger
Head of Primary School

Ms. Hettinger’s background combines expertise in childhood development with extensive management experience in both education and the corporate world. Before joining Langley in 2008, Ms. Hettinger was executive administrative director and head of school at Village Green Day School at Lowes Island, having previously worked as a personnel manager for large- and medium-sized corporations.

At Langley, Ms. Hettinger delights in working with our youngest students, their families, and the Primary School faculty to craft the most effective learning experiences for each child. She employs deep knowledge of assessment tools that reveal critical details about children’s developmental ages as related to their chronological age, creating an attentive, joyful, and child-centered environment.

Born in Baltimore, MD, Ms. Hettinger enjoys crab feasts and family vacations on the Eastern Shore. She is the proud mother of a Langley graduate.

Ms. Hettinger holds an M.Ed. from George Mason University and a B.A. from Clemson University.

Peggy Laurent
Head of Lower School

A deeply committed, lifelong educator, Ms. Laurent offers Langley wide-ranging experience in both the independent and public school systems. Coming to Langley in 2007, she previously served as associate director of admission and director of special and summer programs at Flint Hill School in Oakton, VA.

Ms. Laurent has taught extensively in grades 3 through 7, including science and math in the City of Alexandria’s Gifted and Talented Program and also in Fairfax County Public Schools’ Japanese Immersion Program. She has led programs promoting diversity and inclusion throughout school communities. She particularly loves developing curriculum and programs that foster intellectual curiosity and the creative process to nourish young children’s interest and skills in STEAM subjects—science, technology, engineering, art, and math.

A former jewelry and clothing designer, Ms. Laurent once owned a wearable art business.

She holds an M.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from Wellesley College.

Ryan Jefferson
Head of Middle School

Mr. Jefferson became head of the Middle School in 2014. He first joined Langley in the summer of 2010 as the director of student life, coordinating schoolwide service learning projects, organizing school assemblies, and managing the Middle School advisory program. Mr. Jefferson previously taught social studies at the Westchester Country Day School, where he also coached athletics.

Now overseeing every aspect of Langley’s Middle School, Mr. Jefferson especially enjoys directing the outplacement program for rising eighth-graders. Helping students and their families research and select high schools, carefully assisting each student through the application process, advocating for every student with area admission directors, and then seeing proud, excited students move on to their best-fit high school is a thrill that few other school administrators get to experience.

Mr. Jefferson originally hails from outside of Philadelphia, and remains an avid Philadelphia sports fan. His athletic spirit started in his early education days as a beloved coach of boys’ and girls’ basketball, varsity track and field, and varsity baseball.

He received his B.A. from Temple University and his M.Ed. from Arizona State University.

Jinene Christian
Head of Development

Joining Langley in 2015, Ms. Christian brings an impressive array of experience, having served in development roles at The Potomac School, The Holton-Arms School, The Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the National Gallery of Art, and the National Health Museum.

Ms. Christian’s favorite parts of the job include building one-on-one relationships with donors and volunteers, and successfully matching donors’ interests with existing or new opportunities. She brings deep expertise in annual giving, major gifts, capital campaigns, and legacy giving programs and delves deeply into the research and strategic planning aspects of her work.

Ms. Christian earned her M.A. from George Washington University and her B.A. from Gettysburg College.

Sarah Sumwalt
Director of Social and Emotional Learning/Middle School Counselor

Dr. Sumwalt is excited to be joining the Langley community in the newly created role of director of social and emotional learning. While earning her Ph.D. in clinical psychology, her graduate research focused on friendships during early adolescence and specifically on the interplay between social and emotional well-being. Over the past four years, she has practiced as a child and adolescent psychologist at the Wake Kendall Group, PLLC in Washington, DC. She most recently served as the director of learning services at the Lowell School.

In her free time, Dr. Sumwalt enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs, paddle-boarding on the Potomac River, and gardening. She is also a Pop Vinyl aficionado and has a collection of figurines in her office.

Dr. Sumwalt holds a Ph.D. from SUNY, University at Buffalo and a B.A. from the University of Virginia.