AND BASEBALL SUPPORT

ST. JOHN'S ADMINISTRATION AND BASEBALL SUPPORT

JEFFREY MANCABELLI

PRESIDENT

Jeffrey Mancabelli became the 28th president, and first lay president, of St. John’s College High School in 2010, after serving nine years as the school’s first lay principal. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Scranton and a master’s degree in education and human development from The George Washington University. Throughout his 30 years in Catholic education, Mancabelli has remained focused on creating and leading positive and inclusive educational environments. He is a graduate of the Lasallian Leadership Institute and the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies and has presented at numerous educational conferences. He is a member of The Lasallian Association of Secondary Schools and the Strategic Planning Committee for The District of Eastern North America. He previously served on the board of The Woods Academy and currently serves on the boards of St. John’s College High School, La Salle College High School and Calvert Hall College High School.

CHRISTOPHER THEMISTOS

PRINCIPAL Christopher Themistos is in his fifth year as principal, but joined St. John’s College High School in 2001. In the time that he has been with the school, he has taught in two academic departments and held four positions in the administration. He was also part of the baseball coaching staff for six years and has worked extensively in other areas of the school’s extra-curricular offerings. Before becoming principal, Themistos was the director of admissions, academic dean and assistant principal for academic affairs. In his extensive work in the academic administration, Themistos has been committed to improving the education of students by attending to their immediate needs, while asserting his belief than an innovative mindset should be applied to the school’s fervent Lasallian pedagogy when developing new programs and opportunities. He and his wife Laurie have two daughters, Caroline and Kalliope, and enjoy being fully immersed in life at SJC.

DENNIS HART

ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

In March, 2020, St. John’s announced the appointment of Dennis Hart as the school’s new director of athletics. Hart will bring extensive experience as an administrator, teacher and coach to St. John’s. For the past 14 years, he has devoted himself to the students of his own alma mater, St. Joseph’s Preparatory School, an all-boys Catholic preparatory high school in Philadelphia, PA. He spent the past five years serving as director of athletics, overseeing a robust and successful program that included 40 teams, nearly 100 coaches and more than 700 student-athletes. Prior to that, Hart spent four years as dean of students and five years as a history teacher, including an appointment as the chair of the History Department.

He also coached both baseball and basketball for St. Joseph’s Prep, the same sports he played as a student there. Hart served as associate head coach for the varsity baseball team for 13 years, helping guide the team to four consecutive division titles, back-to-back Philadelphia Catholic League championships and a 2009 appearance in the state semifinal game. He also spent three years as a coach for the school’s basketball program, including time with both the varsity and freshman teams.

Prior to joining the faculty at St. Joseph’s Prep, Hart was a social studies and science teacher at People for People Charter School in Philadelphia for three years. He also coached the boys’ varsity basketball team, which he led to two Independent Charter School League finals. He began his coaching career at St. Matthew School, also in Philadelphia, where he served as assistant coach for the girls’ varsity high school Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) team.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Temple University and a master’s degree in educational leadership from St. Joseph’s University. Hart has also served on a number of professional committees, including the St. Joseph’s Prep Strategic Plan 2020 – Academic Excellence Committee (co-chair), St. Joseph’s Prep Middle States Committee (chair), St. Joseph’s Prep Board of Trustees Athletics and Student Life Committee, the Philadelphia Catholic League (vice chairman) and the Philadelphia Catholic League Board of Directors. He also served as the league’s chairman for baseball and boys’ and girls’ track and field.

Hart and his wife, Kate, live in Washington, DC, with their two daughters, Olivia and Claire.

ST. JOHN'S ADMINISTRATION AND BASEBALL SUPPORT

PAT WARD ’93

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Pat Ward ’93 is in his 11th year as assistant athletic director for St. John’s. During this time, he has overseen the day-to-day operations of the entire Athletic Department and the school’s athletic facilities. With the expansion of the Athletic Department, he now focuses on boys’ sports. In addition, in January 2020, Ward was named head football coach for St. John’s. Previously, he was the offensive line coach from 2000-2019 and had great success with at least one lineman being named first team All-Conference in each of his years at St. John’s. Ward has coached 21 first team All-Conference linemen and eight first or second team All-Met linemen (as determined by The Washington Post), as well as three All-Americans and one NFL player. He was an assistant coach for the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game. In January 2020, Ward was named head football coach for St. John’s.

As a player, Ward was a two-time football All-Met and All-American recipient at St. John’s. At the University of Maryland, he was a four-year starter, an All-Conference ACC player and the recipient of the prestigious A.V. Williams Award, given to the UMD football player who demonstrates outstanding sportsmanship. He was inducted into St. John’s College High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.

Ward comes from a long line of St. John’s graduates, including his grandfather, Robert Cady ’37; uncle, Mike Cady ’69; cousins, Frank Cady ’42 and Ralph Hawkins ’53; and brother, Mike Ward ’06. He is very proud of his history at St. John’s and excited to be part of the St. John’s community.

MAGGIE WARD

ASSISTANT ATHLETIC DIRECTOR

Maggie Ward enters her third year as an assistant athletic director. She assists in all elements of the Athletic Department, with a focus on running the daily operations of the girls’ sports programs. Ward earned a bachelor’s degree in science, with a concentration in athletic training, from the University of Vermont in 2011. She went on to earn a master’s degree in education, with a concentration in athletic training, from Old Dominion University in 2013. While attending Old Dominion, she was a graduate assistant at Christopher Newport University, working with the football team, track and field team and women’s lacrosse team.

Before St. John’s, Ward worked at Trinity Episcopal School, a private high school in Richmond, VA; at MedStar National Rehabilitation Network in an orthopedic clinic; and at Blake High School in Silver Spring, MD.

In addition to her athletic training duties at St. John’s, Ward is an instructor for a health and nutrition class and has certification in fitness nutrition from the American Council on Exercise (ACE).