Eric Peterson is a distinguished educator, writer, and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and administrator at a number of outstanding independent schools. Since 2022, he has served as the President of Hargrave Military Academy, a military boarding school for boys in grades 6-12. Prior to his tenure at Hargrave, for 13 years Eric served as the Head of School at St. George’s School, a grades 9-12 coed boarding school in Newport, Rhode Island, where he also taught in the English Department. His other work in schools includes tenures as an Associate Headmaster, Upper School Director, Director of Admissions, Dean of Students, Athletic Director, and Director of Advancement. In addition to his work as an English teacher, he has taught History, Government, and Ethics courses, and has coached football, baseball, track, and softball. He has extensive experience in school management, finance/operations, fundraising, legal issues, and curriculum design.
Outside of his career in education, Eric has also practiced law, managed a family-owned manufacturing business, and helped run a craft brewery and distillery. He is one of the founders of the Orion Military Scholarships, a non-profit organization that provides boarding school scholarships for children of United States military personnel. A former college football player, triathlete, and marathoner, Eric also competed as a member of the United States Bobsled Team.
Eric earned his B.A. in English, cum laude, from Dartmouth College and a J.D. with honors from Northwestern University School of Law. He has presented at the national conferences for NAIS and TABS, and has authored numerous articles, book reviews, and profiles. In 2015, he was a featured alumni speaker at Stanford University’s Design School. Eric has been a trustee at several independent schools and a range of other non-profit organizations, and has consulted and advised a number of others.
Eric and his wife Krista, an independent educational consultant, have three grown sons.