Mercersburg Academy is pleased to announce the appointment of five new Board of Regents members.

As the school’s governing body, the Board is composed of approximately 30 individuals, including alumni, parents of alumni, current parents, and friends of the school, who are each appointed to serve a three-year term. Together, they provide leadership, planning models, and strategic guidance in support of Mercersburg’s mission and future.

This year’s newest members include Christopher Weller Jr. ’11, Katie Stover ’07, Emily Grier Madan ’94, Bill Su ’88, and Paula Johnson Smith ’83.

Christopher Weller Jr. ’11 is a designer and entrepreneur with expertise in digital design, advanced manufacturing, and startup operations. A native of Montgomery, AL, Chris attended Mercersburg as a Regents’ Merit Scholar. After Mercersburg, he earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Virginia. Co-founding Branch Technology in 2014, he helped pioneer large-scale robotic 3D printing for the construction industry, leading technical development, securing grant and private equity funding, and two international patents. 

His work has garnered national recognition, including first place in NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge and a world record for the largest spanning 3D-printed structure. He now leads R&D at Velocity Systems, a Dulles, VA, based defense contractor. Chris, his wife, Heidi, and their two young boys live in Leesburg, VA.

Katie Stover ’07 is a brand strategist who helps business teams stress less and grow more. She studied marketing at the École Supérieur de Commerce à Clermont while attending Kalamazoo College, yet gained the most valuable sales experience by growing up in her family’s small business. She served as vice president at HighRock Studios before co-founding the strategy company Wimbly Stoke in 2020.

Outside of the office, she serves on the Mercersburg Academy Alumni Council, Leadership of Washington County board of directors, Washington County Community Foundation marketing committee, and the Women’s Giving Circle. She’s also a trauma-conscious yoga teacher with a focus on the nervous system and deep rest.

Emily Grier Madan ’94 graduated from George Washington University in 2003 with a master’s degree in organizational sciences. Since then, while raising three daughters, she has been a committed member of her local community in Washington, D.C. Working with the nonprofit Community of Hope, Emily has helped to raise more than $3 million to fund critical medical programs for the district’s most vulnerable residents. She has also worked with D.C. Parks and Recreation as a board member of Mitchell Park.

In this role, she helped sustain a partnership between the city and private citizens to maintain green spaces, playground equipment, and athletic grounds. Emily is passionate about education. She is deeply involved with parent engagement at the National Cathedral School. She has worked on its annual fund since 2020 and served as fundraising chair in 2022. Most recently, Emily was a part of the team for Mercersburg’s Women in Focus symposium in 2023.

In her free time, Emily loves adventure travel.  She is especially proud to have summited Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mount Triglav in Slovenia. Additionally, she has hiked across the Atacama Desert in Chile and completed the Inca Trail in Peru.  

William (Bill) Su ’88, P ’23, ’25  is a board-certified general and vascular surgeon at Maryland Vascular Specialists. In 2002, he returned to his hometown of Hagerstown to join his father, Chia Chuen Su, in his surgical practice. Bill sits on the board of directors of the Meritus Medical Center and he is also a faculty member of the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine. Bill graduated from Brown University and received his medical degree from New York University School of Medicine in 1996.  He then completed his residency in general surgery and fellowship in vascular surgery at NYU in 2002.

His memberships include the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, the American College of Surgeons, and the Society of Vascular Surgeons. Together with his wife, Kathleen, the Sus joined Mercersburg’s White Key parent organization in 2019 and most recently served as co-chairs from 2022 to 2024. They were recently recognized with the James Hasson Distinguished Service Award this spring for their volunteer leadership and dedication to Mercersburg.  He has also served as a member of the White Key Executive Council, Engagement Committee, and Giving Committee; as a Daring to Lead Campaign event host committee member; as an academic volunteer, event volunteer, and 30th reunion committee member; and as a participant in the Stormwatch Safe Campus Initiative.

Bill lives in Hagerstown, MD, with Kathleen and their children, Isabel ’23 and Oscar ’25.

Dr. Paula Johnson Smith ’83 is an associate professor at the University of Utah in the Educational Leadership and Policy Department. She supports the development of PK-12 educational leaders by helping them understand and prioritize the mental health needs of young people. Dr. Smith is a developmental psychologist with expertise in school-based prevention in middle and high schools. Her primary research interests lie at the intersection of schools and juvenile justice systems—the school-to-prison pipeline, juvenile justice, restorative justice, and youth access to mental health resources. Her research is concerned with maximizing youth and young adult potential through the use of evidence-based research.

Professionally, she is a board member for the National Prevention Science Coalition. She advocates for socially just and equitable policies and practices in PK-12 schools and other youth-serving agencies.