St. Margaret’s Announces First Endowed Chair in Support of Science Department 

St. Margaret’s is proud to announce the first endowed chair in school history, which will further the academic programming and support the extraordinary professional community in the science department.  

  

The Dr. Naveen and Mrs. Jennifer Yalamanchi Chair in Science will support and enhance St. Margaret’s science department and the work of its department chair, longtime Upper School teacher Edmund Herlihy. The Endowment was created through a generous gift by the Yalamanchi family toward Tartans Thrive, St. Margaret’s current capital campaign.  

  

Endowed chairs are common at the university level as a way to empower top academic minds and support research and programming. Like other endowments at St. Margaret’s, a portion of the interest and capital gains from endowed chairs will be directed to support the science department and the department chair to further the academic programming for St. Margaret’s students today and into the future. 

  

“We are so grateful for Dr. Naveen and Mrs. Jennifer Yalamanchi for this generous and visionary gift, which will support the expertise of our professional community and the learning of our students in science,” St. Margaret’s Head of School Dr. Jeneen Graham said. “We are excited to bring this strategically aligned philanthropy to St. Margaret’s, as it will ensure our school will continue to thrive and our supporters will have a new way to uplift an aspect of St. Margaret’s they are passionate about.” 

 

As Ryan Korinke, the Chair of the Board of Trustees Investment Committee, recently shared at the State of the School address in January, the St. Margaret’s endowment balance has surpassed the $25 million mark. Endowments serve important roles to increase the scope of programming offered, to serve as collateral for financial strength of the school and, importantly, to smooth the inflationary pressure on annual tuition increases.   

 

In 2024, the St. Margaret’s Endowment’s investment returns placed in the top quartile for Educational Foundations and Endowments with assets less than $50 million in size. 

  

To learn more about Tartans Thrive, St. Margaret’s ongoing capital campaign, please visit tartansthrive.org. For information and options around endowed chairs at St. Margaret’s, please contact Executive Director for Advancement, Jonathan Tufo, a jtufo@smes.org.