The Board of Trustees of Malvern Preparatory School announced today the appointment of Christian M. Talbot as Malvern’s 13th Head of School, effective July 1, 2012.  Currently English Department Chair at Regis High School, a Catholic college preparatory school for boys in New York City, Talbot’s appointment is the culmination of an extensive national search and a unanimous recommendation from the Head of School Search Committee.

 

In announcing the appointment, Board of Trustees President Richard E. Devine, Jr. ’76 P’03 said, “Christian Talbot brings a proven track record in scholarship and excellent management skills at a time when Malvern Prep is preparing to move into the future by implementing a five-year Strategic Vision, one of the most extensive and comprehensive that we have ever undertaken in our long history. We are confident that Christian is the ideal person to put that vision into action and lead Malvern Prep into a new era.  Under his leadership, we believe that we will be able to sustain the great traditions of the School and look to the future with confidence.”

 

“I am honored to become Head of School at Malvern Prep, and I am eager to help build on the success of the institution while looking to the future for our boys,” said Talbot.  “I was incredibly impressed with the students, faculty, administrative staff, trustees, parents and alumni who I was fortunate to meet with during my recent visits to the Malvern campus.  I am excited to work together to implement the Strategic Vision and prepare Malvern’s students for college and life in an ever-changing global society, while ensuring that our boys continue to serve God and others in the spirit of St. Augustine.”

 

Talbot will come to Malvern Prep after serving for 14 years at Regis High School, a Jesuit school committed to both academic excellence and fostering a spirit of generosity and service to those in need, from which he graduated in 1993. At Regis, Talbot teaches English and is in his seventh year as department chair. He is President of the Faculty Council and is in his second year of a Presidential Practicum, shadowing Regis President Rev. Philip G. Judge, S.J. through major phases of strategic planning, fundraising and budgeting.  He has also served as a member of the school’s Academic, Strategic Issues, Education & Mission, Development and Religious Identity committees, and is a member of the Secondary Education Advisory Board of the New York Jesuit Province.

 

He founded the “Brain/Mind/Soul” senior seminar in English and mentored students as moderator of IMAGES, the school’s literary magazine, and The Dynamic, a student music review magazine. Talbot has also helped students explore dimensions of the Catholic faith and practice, having served as director of the Christian Service program and continuing to lead annual student retreats. He has also moderated student government and served as an assistant varsity basketball coach.

 

A passionate writer, he is the author of Teaching Excellence, a blog devoted to discussing and debating educational leadership. Two of his lesson plans on teaching the works of William Shakespeare have been published by the Folger Shakespeare Library, and he has been published in the journal Modern Psychoanalysis.  Talbot holds an M.A. degree in Psychoanalysis from the New York Graduate School of Psychoanalysis and also distinguished himself at Georgetown University, where he received a B.A. in both English and Art History.  He and his wife, Lisa, are the parents of two children: Maxwell (4) and Julia (2 ½).

 

The selection of Christian Talbot was the culmination of a national search during which a nine-member Search Committee—chaired by alumnus and trustee Paul J. Kennedy, Esq. ’74 P’08’10—worked closely with consultants from Wickenden Associates to identify and review dozens of candidates.

 

“The committee gave very close consideration to a remarkably strong field, and we are delighted to have found the ideal candidate in Christian Talbot as Malvern’s next Head of School,” Kennedy said. “He is an inspiring leader and a gifted educator who brings the right mix of experience, knowledge, wisdom, and talent to serve and lead Malvern Prep.”

 

Talbot’s appointment comes at a time of transition at Malvern Preparatory School.  In June, James H. Stewart steps down after 42 years at Malvern, including 22 years as the leader of the institution as Head of School and later President.  “The extraordinary quality of the faculty and staff, and the standard of care Malvern gives to its fantastic group of students are both a direct consequence of Jim’s leadership,” said Devine.

 

As Christian Talbot takes on the role as the School’s chief executive, Fr. James R. Flynn, O.S.A., the 12th Head of School, will succeed Stewart as Malvern’s third President on July 1, 2012. In his new role as President, Fr. Flynn will be responsible for the direction of the School's spiritual program in the upper and middle schools, while also being active in the School’s fundraising efforts.  Fr. Flynn has been a leader at Malvern Prep for more than 25 years, serving as Head of School since 2006 and Assistant Head of School from 1997 to 2006.