About Peter Gaines
Peter Gaines will be joining Princeton Friends School as Head of School in the summer of 2025. With over 25 years of school experience, Peter is a dedicated and experienced leader in Quaker progressive education, known for his deep commitment to fostering community, equity, and joyful learning.
Most recently, Peter has served in pivotal roles at Tandem Friends School in Charlottesville, Virginia, including Assistant Head of School for Mission & Values and Director of Major Giving. He has cultivated an authentic culture of philanthropy as the school’s first major gifts officer, securing significant philanthropic support to advance Tandem’s goals and mission. His commitment to Quaker practice and values is evident in his mentorship of faculty and staff and in engaging families and community partners in the mission.
Peter’s leadership has extended to strategic planning, spiritual life, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He co-clerked a two-year strategic planning process, partnered with trustees to enhance philanthropic culture, and worked closely with Tandem’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to introduce and facilitate Seeking Educational Equity and Justice (SEED) programming across the school. As Upper School Director, Peter was instrumental in Tandem’s substantial growth (nearly 50% in enrollment) and programmatic innovation, seeing it through the challenges of the pandemic and helping develop an interdisciplinary curriculum.
Peter started his education career as a teacher, counselor, and admissions professional at the Steppingstone Scholars Program and then Abington Friends School, both in the Philadelphia region. He next went to University Liggett School in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, where he served as Head of Upper School, Director of the Detroit City Project, and Dean of Students. There, he led initiatives focused on student support, institutional growth, and community partnerships, including collaborating with school leadership to establish meaningful connections with community organizations in Detroit. He also facilitated a community-wide SEED program, and supported the development of a four-year Academic Research Program and the implementation of an age-appropriate advising curriculum.
Peter’s educational background includes an MFA in Poetry from Warren Wilson College and a BA with honors distinction in English from Colby College. He is a graduate of the Institute for Engaging Leadership in Friends Schools. His dedication to Quaker values, student-centered learning, and community building makes him an inspiring leader poised to enrich the Princeton Friends School community.
When not on campus, Peter can be found with his wife and their two daughters, reading (and occasionally writing) poetry, hiking, and (during the summer months) swimming in the early morning. Now that his oldest daughter is at Virginia Tech, he enjoys cheering on the Hokies, though in terms of professional allegiances, the Phillies and Eagles are second only to his original hometown teams, the Orioles and Ravens.