Stephanie Skylar Hench '78 Named President of the Board of Trustees

Hathaway Brown is pleased to announce that Stephanie Skylar Hench '78 has begun her tenure as president of the Board of Trustees.

"Stephanie brings a rare combination of business acumen, steady judgment, and genuine love for this school," said Head of School Dr. Fran Bisselle. "She has spent her career building and leading organizations, and she brings that same clarity and confidence to her leadership on our board. I am grateful for her partnership as we carry HB's mission forward."

Stephanie has maintained a strong connection to HB since her graduation in 1978. She has served on the Board of Trustees since 2019, bringing decades of executive leadership experience to her work on behalf of the school. 

“HB is a special place,” Stephanie shares. “I want to help focus on long-term goals and the sustainability of the school. I benefited from a Hathaway Brown education and I want other families and students to benefit going forward.”

Stephanie's professional background spans broadcast media and retail leadership. For more than a decade, she owned a broadcast media company with radio stations in Lima, Ohio, before selling the company in 1997. She then moved from radio to retail, joining a regional chain of grocery stores in Northwest Ohio as Executive Vice President of Marketing & Communications. She later served as President & CEO of the company before it was sold in 2014.

Stephanie succeeds Peggy Roberts, Managing Partner at The Riverside Company, who has served on the Board of Trustees since 2019 and as Board President since 2023, and continues to serve as a Trustee. Under Peggy's leadership, the Board oversaw the renovation and reopening of the Primary School, celebrated the School's 150th anniversary, and guided the school toward its $85 million goal for Unbounded Possibility: The Campaign for Hathaway Brown.

"We are profoundly grateful to Peggy for her dedicated service and thoughtful leadership as board president," said Dr. Bisselle. "Her wisdom and steadfast commitment to HB's students and mission have left a lasting mark on this school. We are delighted that Stephanie will now carry that leadership forward, and we look forward to all she will bring to this role."

Please join the HB community in congratulating Stephanie on her appointment and thanking Peggy for her extraordinary service to Hathaway Brown.