The Ruth Jenkins Award and the John D. Verdery Award are the National Association of Episcopal Schools’ highest honors and recognize and celebrate the outstanding service of individuals to Episcopal schools and NAES. The awards are bestowed at the discretion and by vote of the Governing Board and are presented during ceremonies at our Biennial Conference.

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The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor

John D. Verdery Award Recipient

The Rt. Rev. John Harvey Taylor recently retired as the seventh bishop diocesan of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the 1,101st bishop in The Episcopal Church. His election took place on December 3, 2016, during the diocese’s 121st annual meeting, paving the way for his consecration as bishop coadjutor on July 8 at a vibrant “grand fiesta” that celebrated the region’s rich cultural diversity and mission-driven spirit. He officially stepped into his role as diocesan bishop in 2017. Prior to his episcopal election, Taylor spent years in parish leadership as the vicar of St. John Chrysostom Episcopal Church and School in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. He also served on the governing board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools from 2010 to 2016.

Before his ordination, Taylor established a distinguished career in public service and historical preservation. A native of Detroit and the son of journalists, he developed a deep passion for the written word early on, eventually becoming a published novelist. His work in public life prominently included serving as an aide and chief of staff to former U.S. President Richard Nixon. Taylor went on to direct the privately owned Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace, skillfully leading the institution through its transition into the federal presidential library system to become the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, while also serving as Executive Director of the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation. It was also during his time in public service that he met Kathleen Hannigan O’Connor, a fellow former Nixon aide, whom he married in 2002.

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Alley Michaelson

Ruth Jenkins Award Recipient

Alley Michaelson is the ninth Head of School at St. Matthew’s Parish School in Pacific Palisades, CA, and the first alumna to assume the role. She came to St. Matthew’s from New Lebanon Elementary School in Greenwich, CT, where she served as Principal starting in 2019. Under her leadership, New Lebanon School was recognized as a Connecticut State School of Distinction, and she was awarded the Anne Firestone Ball Family Champion Award from Family Centers of Fairfield County. Before her tenure at New Lebanon, Mrs. Michaelson was Assistant Principal and Principal, respectively, at Anderson & McGrath Elementary School in Grand Blanc, MI. 

After St. Matthew’s, Mrs. Michaelson attended Marymount High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan. She holds an M.A. in Teaching, Special Education from National Louis University and a Master’s in Education with a focus in School Leadership from Harvard University. Mrs. Michaelson began her career as a Teach For America Corps member in the Chicago Public Schools, where she progressed from Learning Specialist to Special Education College Counselor to Dean of Specialized Instruction. She has continued her commitment to Teach For America as a volunteer, Recruitment Manager, and Associate Board Member.

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Jennifer F. Tolbert

Ruth Jenkins Award Recipient

Jennifer F. Tolbert has served as Head of School at Saint Mark’s School in Altadena, CA since 2015. Prior to coming to Saint Mark’s, she held several administrative roles, including Middle School Director at Polytechnic School in Pasadena, Associate Director of Admissions at Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, and Director of Diversity and Middle School Director at the Gordon School in East Providence, RI. She also taught English and social studies for nine years before moving into administration.

Ms. Tolbert holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from St. Michael’s College, VT, and a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Columbia University, Teachers College, NY. She is a faculty member for the NAIS Aspiring Heads program and serves as a board member for the National Association of Episcopal Schools. She is a former board member of The Center for Early Education in Los Angeles, The California Association of Independent Schools, and CATDC.

In her free time, Ms. Tolbert enjoys being with her husband, Steve, and their family of six children. She also enjoys gardening, cooking, playing basketball, eating ice cream, and listening to jazz music.

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About the Awards

The Ruth Jenkins Award

The Ruth Jenkins Award honors a founder of NAES who was head of Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma, Washington, and the Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California. An advocate for women’s leadership in the Episcopal Church, Dr. Jenkins was elected in 1949 as a deputy to the Church’s General Convention but refused her seat. She subsequently participated in the “Joint Commission to Consider the Problems of Giving the Women of the Church a Voice in the Legislation of the General Convention” (1951), and later served as a deputy. Jenkins also spearheaded school desegregation efforts, culminating in a non-discrimination clause being requisite for membership of the Episcopal Schools Association (the precursor to NAES) in 1963—directly barring segregated schools from membership.

The John D. Verdery Award

The John D. Verdery Award is named in honor of the long-term headmaster (1942–1976) of Wooster School in Danbury, Connecticut. A co-founder of NAES, Mr. Verdery, an Episcopal priest, was an articulate advocate for the value of Episcopal education and the religious identity of our schools. As president of the NAES Governing Board, he was instrumental in nurturing NAES as an organization through his hands-on leadership at critical points during the Association’s early years.