Christopher Tompkins of East Greenville, Pa., will become the head of school for Episcopal Collegiate School, effective July 1, leaders of the Little Rock campus announced Monday.
Tompkins will replace Steve Hickman -- who left the Episcopal Collegiate position earlier this year for a school leadership position in Virginia -- and Thomas Southard -- who is serving as interim head of school at Episcopal Collegiate for the 2014-15 school year.
Tompkins is in his seventh year as head of school for the 336-student Perkiomen School in Pennsburg, Pa., a co-ed boarding and day school for students in sixth through 12th grades and one year of post-high school graduate work.
His more than 25 years of education experience also include serving as assistant head of school for enrollment and director of admissions and financial aid for eight years at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pa. His other leadership roles were at The Canterbury Episcopal School in Desoto, Texas; St. Andrews-Sewanee School in Sewanee, Tenn.; and South Kent School in South Kent, Conn.
He started his career as a history teacher and coach at Wellington School in Columbus, Ohio; Greens Farms Academy in Greens Farms, Conn.; and Academia Cotopaxi in Ecuador.
Tompkins graduated from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, with a double major in history and government. He earned a master's degree from The Maxwell School of Syracuse University. He holds certificates in independent school leadership from Harvard and Cornell universities, and he completed a head of school fellowship program at Columbia University.
"Mr. Tompkins' exceptional leadership background as a current head of school -- combined with his experiences in teaching, institutional advancement, enrollment management, financial aid, strategic planning, boarding and international education -- make him the perfect choice of the board of trustees to lead Episcopal Collegiate to the completion of numerous 21st century initiatives," Chuck Erwin, president of the Episcopal Collegiate board of trustees, said Monday in announcing the hiring.
Tompkins and his wife, Kate, have three children.
Episcopal Collegiate School serves about 750 students in preschool through 12th grade.
Metro on 09/30/2014