Mary Menacho is an experienced and forward-thinking independent school leader who supports schools as they navigate complex challenges and emerging opportunities. Drawing on a career spanning classroom teaching, headship, association leadership, and executive coaching, she partners with boards and school leaders to strengthen governance, strategy, and organizational culture.

For over six years, Mary served as Executive Director of the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), which accredits and provides professional learning for more than 240 schools across thirteen states. In this role, she led accreditation initiatives, facilitated over 60 governance workshops, and coached new heads of school, board chairs, and academic leaders. She also served as Interim Executive Director of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) from 2019–2020, guiding the organization and its member schools through a period of transition.

Previously, Mary was Head of School at Trinity School in Menlo Park, California, for twenty-three years. During her tenure, she oversaw significant campus improvements, substantial growth in philanthropy and endowment, and the development of durable operational systems. Under her leadership, Trinity experienced stronger board stability, increased student and faculty diversity, expanded financial assistance, and greater curricular coherence.

Earlier in her career, Mary helped launch the middle school program at Keys School and served as Director of General Studies at South Peninsula Hebrew Day School, following many years of teaching nearly all grade levels. Her teaching and leadership journey has taken her across the Bay Area of California as well as to Caracas, Venezuela, and Lima, Peru.

Mary serves on the E3n Board of Trustees and that of Madison Country Day School. She is a certified ICF Executive Coach and holds certifications from both BoardSource and Polarity Partnerships. She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from Santa Clara University and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Oregon.