Claire Drummond Strowd's experience as Assistant Director of Admissions for Browne Academy in Va. helped her sail smoothly into the Pace Academy Admissions office in 2000. She also worked for College Summit, an organization that helps disadvantaged high-school students negotiate the college admissions process; for the Elihu Club, a senior society at Yale; and at Independent Educational Services in Alexandria, Va. She graduated from the Darlington School in Rome, Ga. and earned her B.A. in English at the University of the South, graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. Her M.A. in English and American Literature at Georgetown University bolstered her love of great books that she endeavors to pass along to her students.

Claire wants each of her students to leave her class with a love of literature. "Good literature gives a student so many insights about life, love, war, death, etc. In addition, when a student can look below the surface meaning and read critically, he or she becomes a more analytical thinker." She encourages critical thinking by asking difficult, not obvious, questions about the material they read. "I push them to take a strong stance and work to support it in their writing. If you can help students feel comfortable, often they're more willing to take intellectual risks in their thinking and writing; I try to foster an environment where they will take those risks."

She enjoys reading and playing cards and, with several of her friends in local bands, she sees live music as often as possible. She also enjoys cooking, relying on many of her mother's recipes as well as those from books, magazines or online. "I don't bake much, but I aspire to learn how. I have yet to be able to get a 'from-scratch' layer cake to come out correctly." She and her husband David, a software company account manager, have a rescue dog named Buster.

Jennifer's passion for children, and her desire to share her love of Pace with families, has led to her position as the Lower School Admissions Director. She joined Pace's Admissions staff in 2006 as the Associate Director of Middle and Upper School Admissions. She has also served as the Director of Financial Aid and the varisty volleyball head coach.

Before joining the Pace Academy faculty, Jennifer was the assistant volleyball coach at the University of Georgia. In 2009, Jennifer was inducted into the Butler University Hall of Fame.

She is passionate about teaching and wants to be a great role model for students. “I have had so many wonderful people influence my life and help shape the person I am today,” she said. “In turn, I feel I have a responsibility to give to young people and share pieces of my journey with them.”

Jennifer and her husband Darren, who works in sales for Crane Materials International, are proud parents of daughter Britton and son Gavin. She enjoys hiking, white-water rafting, reading, traveling and watching her children grow.

After joining the Pace Academy admissions team in 2009, Simon admits he has loved his time at the school. “I enjoy working so closely with the faculty, staff, families, and most importantly, the students. Whether it's in the classroom, on the stage or on the court, I love the fact that everyone at Pace has one common goal: to educate our students to become leaders in all aspects of life.” In addition to his role as Associate Director of Lower School Admissions, Simon has served as the varsity and JV boys golf assistant coach and Lower School community service leader, and he is currently the 7th grade girls basketball coach.

Born in South Korea and raised in Dalton, Georgia, Simon earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism with a major in advertising and a minor in geography from the University of Georgia. Before joining the Pace staff, he worked at two firms in Atlanta that provide fundraising counsel to nonprofit organizations across the country. His experiences working on numerous independent school capital campaigns made him realize how important it is to provide the best environment and resources for every student.

Simon volunteers in the community as a youth basketball coach, and he serves on his fraternity’s board of directors for which he builds alumni relations and mentors the undergraduate chapter. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, working on his golf game, and being an obnoxiously passionate Dawgs fan.