Meet the Principal

Jenny Elliott is the 17th head of school in the Academy’s 245-year history.

Jennifer Karlen Elliott is the principal at Phillips Exeter Academy, arriving at the Academy on July 1, 2026.

A “teacher at heart,” Elliott began her career in the classroom as a teaching assistant while an undergrad at Dartmouth College. Her professional life also includes 12 years at her high school alma mater, Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, where she taught U.S. History and held several leadership positions, including serving as dean of students and as assistant head of school for residential life.

She arrived at Exeter from Choate Rosemary Hall, where as head of student and academic life she was responsible for nearly all aspects of the student experience.

Elliott was appointed principal at Exeter after a global search that connected a search committee of trustees and faculty with over 400 educational leaders.

I delight in young people. They are the source of my optimism and the very best part of my work.

Principal Jenny Elliott

“Jenny is a teacher at heart who, from the earliest stages of her career, has been called to leadership roles of increasing responsibility,” Trustees President Kristyn Van Ostern ’96 said in announcing Elliott’s appointment. She said Principal Elliott has “a combination of qualities that are difficult to find in one person,” someone who “listens deeply, collaborates naturally, and brings clarity and focus to complex challenges” and “models the curiosity and adaptability that define great educators and leaders.”

A 1994 graduate of Andover, Elliott earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Dartmouth, a master’s degree in elementary education from Lesley College and expects to complete a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University in 2027.

Jenny Elliott is the 17th head of school in the Academy’s 245-year history.

Greetings from J. Smith

‘My heart is coming for you’

A letter to the Exeter community