[New York, NY] The Rev. Daniel R. Heischman, D.D., executive director of the National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) has been elected to a two-year term as president of the board of directors of the Council for American Private Education (CAPE) beginning July 1, 2013. He currently serves as secretary of the CAPE board.
The Council for American Private Education (CAPE), founded in 1971, is a coalition of 18 national organizations and 33 state affiliates serving private and independent elementary and secondary schools. There are 33,366 private and independent schools in the United States; one in four of the nation’s schools is a private or independent school. About 5.5 million students (10 percent of all students) attend them. CAPE member organizations represent about 80 percent of private or independent school enrollment nationwide. NAES is a founding member of CAPE.
The Rev. Daniel R. Heischman, D.D., began his tenure as executive director of NAES on July 1, 2007. Prior to his work with NAES, Mr. Heischman was College Chaplain at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut for four years. He was head of the upper school and assistant headmaster of St. Albans School, Washington, DC from 1994 through 2003. From 1987 to 1994 he was executive director of the Council for Religion in Independent Schools (CRIS), now the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE). He served as chaplain and then assistant headmaster of Trinity School, New York, New York from 1979 until 1987. He began his ordained ministry in 1976 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Englewood, New Jersey.
A noted speaker, workshop leader, and author, Mr. Heischman is an instructor in doctor of ministry studies at Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia. He preaches and leads faculty and parent workshops and retreats at Episcopal and independent schools, and serves as a facilitator for faculty development programs related to ethics and the moral development of students. His most recent publication is Good Influence: Teaching the Wisdom of Adulthood, which focuses on the role that adults play in the development of young people. He has also contributed articles to the Journal of Religion and Health, The Christian Century, and numerous school bulletins and publications.
The 2006 recipient of NAES’ John D. Verdery Award for outstanding service to Episcopal schools and the Association, Mr. Heischman served as a member (1995-2001) and treasurer (1996-2001) of the NAES Governing Board. He has also served on the boards of the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS); the Religious Education Association; Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, and a number of independent and Episcopal schools.
Mr. Heischman was educated at the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree, Phi Beta Kappa, in 1973. He attended Jesus College, University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, earning a bachelor of arts degree in theology in 1975 and a master of arts degree in 1978. He earned a master of sacred theology degree from Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut in 1976, and in 1987 he earned a doctor of ministry degree from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey. He received a doctor of divinity degree, honoris causa, from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut in 2011 in recognition of his many years of distinguished service to Episcopal schools and universities.
The National Association of Episcopal Schools (NAES) is an independently incorporated, voluntary membership organization that supports, serves, and advocates for the vital work and ministry of those who serve nearly 1,200 Episcopal schools, early childhood education programs, and school establishment efforts throughout the Episcopal Church. Chartered in 1965, with historic roots dating to the 1930s, NAES is the only pre-collegiate educational association that is both national in scope and Episcopal in character. The Association advances Episcopal education and strengthens Episcopal schools through essential services, resources, conferences, and networking opportunities on Episcopal school identity, leadership, and governance, and on the spiritual and professional development of school leaders. For additional information, call (800) 334-7626, ext. 6134, or (212) 716-6134; or e-mail us at info@episcopalschools.org; or visit us our website at www.episcopalschools.org/.