The Board of Trustees

After 30 years of service to Westminster School, Mrs. Nancy Schuler was named Head of School by the Board of Trustees and assumed that position on August 1, 2021. She is the third Head of School since Westminster’s founding in 1962. Mrs. Schuler holds a BS in Elementary Education with a concentration in Business Administration and a MEd in Independent School Leadership. Mrs. Schuler is determined to uphold Westminster’s mission and values while welcoming new possibilities for expanding the program and serving the school’s evolving community. She is surrounded by a dedicated staff, knowledgeable and well prepared to assist her.

As a parent of four graduates (Classes of 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2019), and a Westminster graduate herself (Class of 1978), Mrs. Breen has a deep appreciation of Westminster’s mission and philosophy, and its impact on the lives of its students and community.  She has been a tireless volunteer at Westminster, serving as a room parent for various grades and in different capacities on the Westminster Parents Club Board. Mrs. Breen is a retired consultant, with over 20 years’ experience in leading and delivering large scale, technology based solutions to global clients.

Francine Cannon has owned and operated her own accounting business since 2005.  She continues to provide full cycle accounting, bookkeeping and payroll services for various types of profit and non-profit clients.  She offers business consulting based on years of entrepreneurship experience.  Her services are available for an ongoing business relationship or for short-term accounting projects according to generally acceptable accounting principles (GAAP).

Mrs. Cannon and her husband, Rob are the proud parents of three Westminster School graduates (Alex, Class of 1997, Scott, Class of 1998 and Jaci, class of 2012).  Mrs. Cannon was an active volunteer during her time as a Westminster parent, serving on various committees and positions for the Westminster Parents Club. Once her children graduated, her husband and she continued to be part of the Westminster family by cooking for the back-to-school night, providing hot dogs for Sports days and photographing various Westminster functions.

Clay Carney is the proud parent of Westminster graduate, Kyla Carney (Class of 2012). During his time as a father at Westminster, Mr. Carney and his wife were constant supporters of the school, with special attention to the music and drama programs. As a Certified Public Accountant with a degree in business administration, Mr. Carney has enjoyed a long career in financial guidance and oversight for businesses spanning from start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer for Asset Capital Corporation, Inc. Mr. Carney served as a Commissioned Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1982-1985.

CAPT Matthew Holcomb’s career in the Medical Service branch of the U. S. Navy spans over 20 years.  He has held multiple leadership positions in the field and assumed duties overseas including Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Okinawa, Japan. He then served as the Director for Administration at the Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, where he was instrumental in the delivery of exceptional administrative support and service to a staff of 370 personnel, serving 15,000 beneficiaries in three states, and the Brigade of Midshipmen.

Captain Holcomb has served as a military assistant to the Comptroller for Navy Medicine, as well as the executive assistant to the Director, Medical Resources, Plans, and Policy on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations.  He is currently assigned as the Director, Commander’s Action Group at the Bureau of Medicine Surgery.

Captain Holcomb and his wife, Dr. Sharese White, a Navy Orthopedic Surgeon, are the proud parents of two current Westminster students. They joined the Westminster community in 2016, when their eldest daughter was in kindergarten.

Lane Nemirow works as an Attorney-Advisor for the Solicitor’s Office in the Department of the Interior in Washington D.C.  Mr. Nemirow provides legal advice to DOI bureaus regarding regulatory projects, permitting and enforcement, interagency coordination, and federal litigation.  Prior to joining the Solicitor’s office, Mr. Nemirow worked as a trial attorney at the Maritime Administration.  He began his career in private practice in New Orleans after graduating from Tulane Law School.  Lane is a member of the Louisiana and D.C. bars and a number of professional legal associations.  Mr. Nemirow actively participates in providing pro bono legal services to needy clients and fills different volunteer roles in his community.

As a graduate (1985) and a parent at Westminster School (Devin, 2018 and Owen, 2020), Mr. Nemirow has a deep appreciation and respect for Westminster’s program of academics and its professional staff.  He believes that Westminster’s nurturing, rigorous program provides students with the opportunity to achieve academic excellence in classical studies, arts and drama, French and Latin, math, and history, among others.  In his judgment, Westminster School also prepares students to achieve success after graduation through its comprehensive enrichment programs and extra-curricular opportunities.

Ms. Nourbakhsh has been a part of the Westminster School family for over two decades. She is a graduate (Class of 2006), and has held various positions within the school, such as substitute teacher, 6th grade play director, and camp counselor. She has championed the school ever since she walked through its doors as a kindergartner and firmly believes in its classical curriculum, rigorous sense of discipline, and beautifully unique atmosphere. With an extensive background in both the entertainment industry as well as the business world, Ms. Nourbakhsh successfully runs two companies in Los Angeles and has a hand in various entrepreneurial ventures, where her platform focuses on empowering young women

Nathaniel Smith is a Westminster School graduate of the Class of 2009. He has remained close to the school since his graduation and remembers his time at Westminster with great fondness and appreciation for the excellent academic and personal preparation he received. Mr. Smith attended Cornell University, College of Engineering, where he earned a BS in Information Science, Systems, and Technology. He has held positions as a software engineer and technology consultant, and currently works for Laborers’ International Union of North America. He is excited to bring his expertise in technology and data analysis to the aid of Westminster School, as well as his commitment to diversity and inclusion. In his response to the opportunity to serve on Westminster School’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Smith wrote, “A classical education can go quite a long way in today’s world, and ensuring that Westminster continues to provide such an education to its students is important to me.”

Michael Townsend has been a Westminster parent since 2006 and is the parent of three graduates, Avery (2015), Emily (2017), and William (2022).

Professionally, Mike Townsend has spent more than 21 years at the Charles Schwab Corporation, where is he is Managing Director for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs. He is the company’s principal political analyst and he gives more than 100 speeches a year to clients, investor advisers and industry conferences about how policy and political decisions in Washington affect the capital markets, individual investors and investment advisers. He is also the host of Schwab’s popular podcast, WashingtonWise Investor. Prior to joining Schwab, Mr. Townsend was a vice president at Powell Tate, Inc., a Washington public affairs firm, and he served as an aide to two U.S. Senators in the 1990s.

Mike’s volunteer experience includes two years as the Senior Warden (chief lay officer) at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill, and he later served as co-chair of the church’s $5 million capital campaign to renovate its Parish Hall, offices and classroom space. He has also served in a variety of roles at his alma mater, Bowdoin College, including as a member of the Alumni Council, chair of the Bowdoin Career Advisory Network and as a member of the selection committee for Bowdoin’s Athletic Hall of Honor. He earned a B.A. degree in English from Bowdoin, and a M.A. in English from George Mason University.

Jennie Wills has maintained close ties to Westminster School since her employment there from 1999 through 2008. At Westminster, she worked in development, publications, and event planning. She also taught dance, assisted with theatrical productions, and sponsored the yearbook. After more than twenty years of experience in independent schools, Mrs. Wills is an accomplished advancement professional , demonstrating strengths in building and implementing comprehensive donor pipelines, closing major gifts utilizing a donor-centered approach, and managing innovative alumni and community development programing. She is currently the Executive Director of Advancement for St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School in Alexandria, VA. Mrs. Wills holds a BA in Theater from the University of Arkansas and additional graduate coursework in Dance at the State University of New York College at Brockport. Mrs. Wills firmly believes in the values of Westminster School, the importance of the arts, and the overall “Westminster Way.” Through the years, she has continued to support Westminster with financial gifts and offers to help with fundraising, and is very enthusiastic about the opportunity to further assist Westminster through service on the Board of Trustees.