By Sharon Risse, Grant Writer

The Nativity Prep Board of Trustees recently elected Paul Bishop as Chair of its Board of Trustees. Nativity’s former board chair, Ham Southworth, who has served in the role since 2019, will continue his service as a board member.

Jessica Hooper, President of Nativity says “As we start a new year, I’m thrilled to begin working with Paul in his new role as Nativity’s board chair and grateful for the leadership that Ham has provided over the years. Nativity is well-positioned for the future and under Paul’s leadership we will succeed in meeting our goals.”

Ham Southworth, first became acquainted with Nativity nearly twenty years ago through mutual friends of former Nativity President, Brendan Sullivan. He was deeply impressed by the mission of the school and he and his wife MK have sponsored several students through the years.

A commercial real estate professional, Ham was a little surprised when Brendan asked him in 2016 to join the Board of Trustees. He did have some experience though, he was just leaving the Francis Parker School Board, where fortunately he picked up quite a few best practices. Under his leadership, the structure was formalized, term limits were instituted, and working sub-committees were formed.

Ham’s tenure would bring a head-of-school search, a global pandemic, and Nativity’s first real estate purchase. All of these were executed under his leadership with grace and acumen. Thank you for your service, Ham!

Paul Bishop has also been serving at Nativity for many years. Paul and his wife Julie* first learned about Nativity nearly twenty years ago, when founder David Rivera, spoke about it at his church. What Paul and Julie were impressed with was the eleven-year commitment. They became donors first, then tutors and soon Paul was asked to consider mentoring. The best “yes” he ever gave. Since then, Paul has mentored eight young men, each of them so “different and so impressive.” Paul is an architect and Brendan thought his expertise might come in handy so he asked him to join the Board in 2013. Paul, like Ham served through the new campus purchase and recognizes it was a game changer. He is excited about the future and some of his board objectives will be focused on Succession Planning, Community Awareness, Alumni Engagement Strategies, and the STEM center opening. Welcome to the new role, Paul!

*Julie Bishop is also a longtime supporter, mentor, and Magi Circle Member