In June of 2025, Dr. Jon Carroll will depart Harvard-Westlake after thirteen years—the first three leading HW Aquatics and the last ten as a middle school dean. Jon is not departing to join another school community, however—but to build one. In the fall of 2026, Jon will open Jabali Academy, a K-8 independent school centered in Inglewood with the mission of inspiring excellence in students and preparing them for places like Harvard-Westlake. Jabali, which means “rock” in Swahili, is emblematic of the foundation that education provided in Jon’s own life—growing up in West Philadelphia as the child of educators, attending both private and public schools, before college at the University of Pennsylvania and then a PhD from UCLA. Lastly and most affectionately, Dr. Carroll speaks about the excellence and influence of his wife, noted TV writer and showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll. In addition to Nkechi, Jon references Paul Lindenmaier and Roy Farrar of Germantown Friends School, Tyrone Howard of UCLA, and Howard Stevenson of UPenn as profound influences on his life and career.
Up Next in Season 6
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Episode 72: Deborah Rutter
For the last ten years (up until this past February), Deborah Rutter ’74 was President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the national cultural center of the United States. In this episode, Deborah tells her story. From growing up in Encino and attending Westlake and then Stan...
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Episode 73: Adrian Gonzalez
Adrián González had a 15-year career as a Major League Baseball player, punctuated by two five-year stints with the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers—including numerous Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers, and All-Star selections—as well as seasons in which Adrián led the entire MLB in hits and R...
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Episode 74: Bear Ride
Bear Ride ’71 is the only sister of astronaut and American hero, Sally Ride ’68, who in 1983 became the first American woman in space. In this episode, Bear tells Sally’s story—but also her own, which includes “breaking ground” in her own right as a female and openly gay Presbyterian minister. Th...
