Schools
Dr. Blanca Snyder Named PreK3-8th Principal at Pinecrest Academy
She comes to Pinecrest from St. Gabriel's Catholic School in Austin, Texas.
Pinecrest Academy is pleased to announce the hire of Dr. Blanca Plazas Snyder as PreK3-8th Principal for the 2023-2024 school year. Dr. Snyder will assume this role in July 2023, upon the retirement of Mr. Lenny Forti, who has served as Principal since July 2019.
In a letter to Pinecrest families announcing Dr. Snyder’s hire, Head of School, Jake Rodgers, shared that in the early fall of 2022, the school began the process of identifying its next PreK3-8th Principal. Partnering with Southern Teachers Agency, a premier search firm for private and independent schools, Pinecrest embarked on a national search, with the purpose of selecting a leader with the skills and vision to carry the school’s mission forward and further enhance the quality of integral formation children receive at the PreK3-12th grade private Catholic school.
As Pinecrest Academy’s new PreK3-8th Principal, Dr. Snyder brings over 10 years of experience across a range of educational settings, including educational policy and research, classroom experience, and most recently as the head of middle school at St. Gabriel’s Catholic School, an independent Catholic school in Austin, Texas. In addition to debuting new programs in the middle school, she has served on an accreditation team and consulted with private Christian schools on curriculum.
Dr. Snyder attended Catholic schools from first through twelfth grades, and then earned a B.A. in Communication Studies with a minor in Psychology from DePaul University. She went on to earn her M.A. in Communication Studies from the University of Miami and a Doctorate in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston.
“We are very excited to welcome Dr. Snyder to Pinecrest Academy for the 2023-2024 school year,” said Rodgers. “She is an excellent communicator with a strong track record of collaborative, visionary leadership. Most importantly, she is a person of deep faith, drawn to Pinecrest Academy for our mission of forming Christian leaders who will transform society,” he continued.
“I am humbled and honored to join a Christ-centered school community that is focused on forming Christian leaders who will transform the world,” commented Dr. Snyder. “As an educator at heart and by trade, I am enthusiastic about helping to cultivate lifelong learners who will become the change-makers within their communities.”
Dr. Snyder was born and raised in Chicago and is a native Spanish speaker. When she is not at school, you’ll find her enjoying time outdoors with her four children, husband David and two Labradors.
