Arlington's Bishop O'Connell Names Jonathan Brand Head Of School

ARLINGTON, VA — Bishop Denis J. O’Connell High School in Arlington will have a new head of school next year. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington has appointed Jonathan D. Brand to the role, effective July 1.

Brand most recently served as head of school at Grymes Memorial School in Orange, Virginia. The diocese said that in that role, he worked with his administrative team to increase enrollment, strengthen operations, develop a comprehensive master plan and lead a $12 million capital campaign that resulted in the construction of a gymnasium and other facility improvements. Before that, Brand served for 11 years as the founding headmaster of Chelsea Academy, an independent Catholic, college preparatory school in Front Royal.

“I am confident that Mr. Jonathan Brand is the ideal person to assume this role as Head of School at Bishop O'Connell,” Bishop Michael F. Burbidge said. “For generations, Bishop O'Connell High School has been a faith-filled community of learning, rooted in the life of Christ. By God's grace, I believe Mr. Brand's commitment to making Christ known in mind and heart, and his experience in sustaining excellence in Catholic education, will bear abundant fruit for Bishop O'Connell. I also express my thanks to Mr. Bill Crittenberger for his dedicated and faithful service to Bishop O’Connell as Head of School and congratulate him on his upcoming retirement.”

The appointment follows Crittenberger’s retirement announcement earlier this year. According to the diocese, Burbidge then appointed a search committee led by school advisory board chair Michael Griffen and including Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph E. Vorbach. Working with Catholic Recruiter Associates, the committee evaluated candidates from across the diocese, the Greater Washington, D.C. area and nationally over several months.

“Jonathan Brand emerged from a very thorough process as the right person to be the next leader for Bishop O’Connell,” Vorbach said. “His faithful witness, his thoughtful leadership style and his successes as a leader in various settings have prepared him for this moment, which he is coming to with great enthusiasm.”

Brand said he sees the move as both an opportunity and a responsibility at one of the diocese’s best-known schools.

“Bishop O’Connell High School has long stood out as a flagship institution in the Diocese of Arlington and an authentic, Christ-centered school whose inspiring mission is lived out by the entire school community in remarkable ways,” Brand said. “I am deeply grateful to Bishop Burbidge for this opportunity, and I consider it a blessing and honor to join the leadership team in the work of guiding the school and building on its outstanding legacy.”

Brand holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in history from William & Mary. He and his family are parishioners at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas.