At the beginning of July, Columbus Academy welcomed Mark Hansen as its new Head of Lower School.

Hansen was hired in February 2017 after an extensive national and international search. In addition to his previous role as Primary School Principal at Copenhagen International School in Denmark, he led elementary schools in Lithuania, Germany and Wisconsin as well as Sewickley Academy, a PreK-12 independent day school near Pittsburgh.

"I am very excited and honored to be joining Columbus Academy" he said. "The engagement of the students, dedication of the faculty and involvement of the parents was clear to me during my visit in February, and I look forward to the faculty and students returning in August."

Hansen earned his Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education from the University of Northern Iowa and his Master of Arts in Elementary Administration from California State University, Northridge. His experience has involved working in independent, international and public schools, and he has taught at both the elementary and middle school levels in the United States, Japan and The Netherlands.

He and his wife Debra have three children. Their oldest, Pieter, is in college but Paul and Ellen join them in Central Ohio.