About Alvaro

In addition to his responsibilities as headmaster of The Heights, Alvaro acts as a mentor to high schoolers, and teaches senior Apologetics.

About Rich

Rich is the Director of The Heights Forum and the Director of Admissions at The Heights School.

About Nate

Nate is the Executive Director of The Heights Forum. He oversees the Forum’s professional services, including conferences, workshops, research, and consulting engagements.

About George

In addition to teaching Computer Science in the upper school and mentoring students, in his capacity as Director of Production for the Forum, George facilitates the publication of content and actively develops and maintains the websites for both The Heights School, and the Forum. He also the chief engineer and manager of the Forum’s recording studio, and is the producer of the Forum Faculty Podcast.

About Conn

About Melanie

Melanie returned to The Heights in March of 2024 as Admissions Coordinator. She had served previously as Administrative and Events Coordinator at The Heights, before her departure to become the Director of Admissions for a local parochial school.

Prior to her time at The Heights, Melanie worked for the Archdiocese of Washington as the Coordinator for Marriage Preparation, as well as Director of Organizational Development for Maryland Right to Life.  She and her husband, Will, have 6 children, Kathleen, Willie ’14, Gavin ’16, Austin ’17, Tommy ’19 and Leah.

About Tom

Tom Cox teaches Latin and Greek in the Upper School at The Heights, where he has taught since 2009. Having earned his B.A. in Classics at Hillsdale, he completed a Master’s Degree in 2019 in the Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD.

About Mary

Mary McGiffin is the Production Editor for The Heights Forum. She also freelances for The Heights School and Word on Fire Publishing, and has proofread several Heights faculty books. She formerly worked as a writing coach at Notre Dame and the Hillsdale Kirby Center. She and her husband Danny ’08 have eight children, the oldest four of whom are students at The Heights.

About Joseph

Dr. Joseph Lanzilotti joined The Heights School faculty in 2022. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a second major in Philosophy from DeSales University, a Master of Arts degree in Theology from Ave Maria University, and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. Having grown up in rural New Jersey, Dr. Lanzilotti developed a great love for the natural world. He is a beekeeper and gardener. He enjoys trail running, swimming, and skiing. Joseph and his wife, Caeli, have a two-year-old son. They reside in Reston, VA.

About Joe

Joe Cardenas is the Head of Mentoring at The Heights. Mr. Cardenas also teaches AP Art History, English Literature, and Freshman Theology.  Since coming to The Heights in 1994, he has organized cultural trips to Europe and service projects in South America. Mr. Cardenas completed his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a degree in American history; he received his M.A. in Private School Management from Columbia University in Manhattan. He taught at The Head-Royce School, an independent school in California, and at inner-city programs in Chicago and the Bronx before joining The Heights faculty.

About Michael

A native of Rochester, NY, Michael Moynihan graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame Honors Program in 1992. After teaching for one year and earning a master’s degree in theology from The Catholic University of America,

About Andrew

Andrew Reed began his career at The Heights School in 1998 and assumed his current role as Head of the Middle School in 2000.

About Colin

Colin Gleason serves as Head of the Lower School at The Heights, where he graduated in 1999. After college, he returned to his alma mater where he has taught a variety of classes: 3rd Grade Homeroom; Natural History; Chess; Storytelling; and currently, Moral Theology in the Upper School. He served four years as the Director of Admissions before taking on his current position as Head of the Lower School in 2010, overseeing his beloved Valley where he began as a student. Colin has also served as the Head Varsity Soccer Coach since 2010, and has been named Coach of the Year by the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and All Met Coach of the Year by the Washington Post. During the summer, Colin directs The Heights Soccer Camp and The Dangerous Camp for Boys. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Classics from Washington and Lee University and a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University. He and his wife, Nicole, and their five children live in Kensington.