Brian Hargrove
Meet NMH's
Head of School
Brian Hargrove
Since his arrival at Northfield Mount Hermon in 2019, Head of School Brian Hargrove has led an energetic process of institutional transformation, building on the legacies of prior leaders and imbuing the school’s longstanding commitments to academic rigor, service, and citizenship with renewed relevance for today’s world.
During Hargrove's tenure, NMH has seen one of the most significant periods of campus improvement in the school's history, with more than $70 million invested in new or renovated campus facilities. This Place, This Moment: The Campaign for Northfield Mount Hermon, one of the most ambitious fundraising campaigns at an independent school, is nearing fulfillment of its $275 million goal, fueled in part by a bequest of $50 million, the largest-ever gift to the school.
Under Hargrove’s leadership, NMH has seen record levels of applications, achieved new benchmarks in alumni and parent giving, awarded $80 million in scholarship support, expanded faculty compensation and employee benefits, and sustained an exceptional record of graduates’ matriculation to top colleges and universities.
An accomplished educational leader, Hargrove came to NMH from Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania, where he was the assistant head of school for advancement and communications. He previously served as director of development for St. Mark’s School of Texas, his alma mater, and has worked in higher education, educational technology, and executive search. He holds a master’s degree in education and school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Texas State University, and a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College.
Hargrove and his wife, Linda, have four children; one is an NMH graduate and another is a current student at the school. Hargrove is a member of the board of the Association of Independent Schools in New England (AISNE), where he has served on strategic planning and governance committees. He has served on the U.S. Advisory Council for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), for which he has chaired the Summer Institute for Independent Schools and earned distinction as a CASE Laureate for longtime volunteer service. He speaks and writes frequently on the importance of independent schools in serving the public good, educating and equipping young people for lives of humanity and purpose.
Follow Brian on LinkedIn.
Letters from Head of School Brian Hargrove
Spring 2024
Looking Back and Looking Forward: NMH’s Path Is Guided by the North Star of Our Mission
Read Letter
Spring 2023
Living Our Mission: Together, We Can Carry NMH’s Mission Forward for Generations to Come
Read Letter
Remarks
Convocation 2025
"As I look out this morning, I am incredibly proud of you and our community. You are all here for a reason. You have been carefully selected among, quite literally, thousands of applicants. You are physicists seeking to solve the space-time continuum, you are runners aiming to set records in the mile, you are authors breaking ground with new poetry, and you are dancers dreaming up new choreography."
Convocation 2024
"A colleague asked me the other day what I hoped we would accomplish this year as a community. My answer is that our NMH community seizes this moment to be our best in holding community."
Convocation 2023
"In our [summer] reading, we introduced ourselves to “The Odyssey” and considered Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca. This epic reminds us of the ups and downs one experiences in life, for we are rarely afforded a clear path or a straight line to our destination."
Welcome to Families 2025
"As we begin the school year, let us join together in the good work of challenging, nurturing, and loving our students so that they may strive to be the best version of themselves, individually and collectively. Let us also give our students the room to enjoy what each moment brings, to savor their journeys at NMH, and to engage with the joy, hope, and optimism that are their natural companions."
Welcome to Families 2024
"Even as we take on the most serious of topics, we must also cultivate the abundance of joy on this campus. We ask you to join us in helping students access the joy that comes from exploration and discovery, embracing the many moments afforded here to grow and thrive, and simply being a young person at NMH."
Founder's Day 2025
"Today, we celebrate D.L. Moody. We also call attention to the important work each of us takes on as a member of the NMH community. We can all take immense pride in our history and our living promise as we strive to be a place where all members of our community are full members of our community. We embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, because we know that it strengthens the education and experience for every single one of us. It is within the DNA that shapes our very being at NMH."
In the News
![Late Pfizer executive leaves $50 million to Northfield Mount Hermon school in Gill]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1747859891/nmhschoolorg/dcqxmgbdduvnmc7oulyz/2025SpringAthleticsCelebration4MCP.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1747859891/nmhschoolorg/dcqxmgbdduvnmc7oulyz/2025SpringAthleticsCelebration4MCP.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1747859891/nmhschoolorg/dcqxmgbdduvnmc7oulyz/2025SpringAthleticsCelebration4MCP.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1747859891/nmhschoolorg/dcqxmgbdduvnmc7oulyz/2025SpringAthleticsCelebration4MCP.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1747859891/nmhschoolorg/dcqxmgbdduvnmc7oulyz/2025SpringAthleticsCelebration4MCP.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1747859891/nmhschoolorg/dcqxmgbdduvnmc7oulyz/2025SpringAthleticsCelebration4MCP.jpg","width":2200}])
WAMC profiled NMH as the school shared the exciting news of the bequest received from John Mitchell ’56. “Our DNA is to be a place that offers this tremendous academic program," Head of School Brian Hargrove said. "[It] really helps to develop the whole person but make sure that as we're doing that, that we really reflect the diversity in this country and around the world, because we know that strengthens our educational outcomes.”
![Western Massachusetts Boarding School Receives $50 Million Bequest, the Largest in School’s History]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1738611477/nmhschoolorg/gpmysmidrcsidb6pomyg/Campaign-JohnMitchellTitleSlides-01.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1738611477/nmhschoolorg/gpmysmidrcsidb6pomyg/Campaign-JohnMitchellTitleSlides-01.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1738611477/nmhschoolorg/gpmysmidrcsidb6pomyg/Campaign-JohnMitchellTitleSlides-01.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1738611477/nmhschoolorg/gpmysmidrcsidb6pomyg/Campaign-JohnMitchellTitleSlides-01.png","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1738611477/nmhschoolorg/gpmysmidrcsidb6pomyg/Campaign-JohnMitchellTitleSlides-01.png","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1738611477/nmhschoolorg/gpmysmidrcsidb6pomyg/Campaign-JohnMitchellTitleSlides-01.png","width":1920}])
The Boston Globe reported on the generous bequest left to NMH by John Mitchell ’56, which will allow the school to dramatically increase its financial aid budget. “That’s now dozens of kids who are now at the school who couldn’t be there years ago,” said Head of School Brian Hargrove.
![Why Boarding School? We Thrive in the Creases.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1759260966/nmhschoolorg/xowxuh9dloxcsxbgvall/B_Hargrove_crop.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1759260966/nmhschoolorg/xowxuh9dloxcsxbgvall/B_Hargrove_crop.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1759260966/nmhschoolorg/xowxuh9dloxcsxbgvall/B_Hargrove_crop.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1759260966/nmhschoolorg/xowxuh9dloxcsxbgvall/B_Hargrove_crop.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1759260966/nmhschoolorg/xowxuh9dloxcsxbgvall/B_Hargrove_crop.jpg","width":1338}])
In a guest column in the Greenwich Sentinel, Head of School Brian Hargrove wrote about the transformative educational experience offered at a school like NMH. “High school is a time to explore interests and discover passions in healthy, productive ways. At NMH, we rely on a constellation of adults — teachers, coaches, advisors, dorm parents, and other mentors — to support each child’s path. We value the importance of lessons learned in the classroom, in the dormitory, and simply living in community with others.”