Livia McCoy Receives VAIS Distinguished Service Award

On Friday, October 14, Upper School Dean of Student Support Livia McCoy was honored with the 2016 Sally K. Boese Distinguished Service Award by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) at its annual conference at the Hilton Richmond Hotel. The annual award is given in honor of Dr. Sally K. Boese, who served as executive director of VAIS for 24 years.

“I’m so honored to receive this award through VAIS, which I’ve worked with for many years,” Mrs. McCoy said. “I feel like VAIS has given me the opportunity to touch the future through working with so many new teachers and different projects.”

Mrs. McCoy, whose career as an educator has spanned more than three decades, has been with The Steward School since 2013, serving as dean of student support, math department chair, and co-interim director of the Upper School. She worked at The New Community School for 29 years and held position titles such as science teacher, coordinator of technology, and director of professional growth. She is also an award-winning blogger for Schoolfamily.com, for which she discusses the relationship between parent and school and frequently advocates for independent school education.

“I’m incredibly excited for Livia—she is so deserving of this award,” said Head of School Dan Frank, who nominated Mrs. McCoy for the honor. “I nominated her primarily for her commitment to service and what she has done on behalf of teachers and families. She has impacted literally thousands of lives.”

Mrs. McCoy has been committed to serving VAIS through participating on accreditation teams, presenting at its annual conferences, and assisting in the production of a classroom management film in conjunction with the University of Virginia. Most notably, she served as director and a core faculty member of the VAIS New Teacher Institute from 1998-2015, an annual week-long professional development event for new educators.

“Livia has been and continues to be a wonderful role model for all those who teach at, lead, or advocate on behalf of independent schools,” said Dr. Boese, who was unable to attend the conference but filmed a special video message for Mrs. McCoy. “She has worked tirelessly on behalf of VAIS schools, students, faculty, and families as she continues to show the way to a brighter future through her patience and love.”

McCoy received her Bachelor of Science in education, secondary physical science from the University of Arkansas and her Masters of Education in adult education and human resources development from Virginia Commonwealth University.