Germantown Academy Head of School Rich Schellhas 1760 has announced the hiring of David Pannepacker as the school’s next Chief Financial and Operating Officer. Pannepacker, a Fort Washington native, will return home in June 2021 after spending the past 20 years in finance positions in London. His main duties at GA will consist of overseeing the school’s budget, supervising the business office, maintenance team, facilities, security, and auxiliary programs, and sitting on the Finance and Facilities committees of the Board of Trustees. 

“After an extensive international search, our somewhat ‘outside-the-box’ candidate, Dave Pannepacker, distinguished himself through the perfect combination of intellect and EQ,” said Schellhas. “Not only will Dave build on the strong legacy of his predecessor and notable excellence of GA’s business office team, but his entrepreneurial mindset will help us to explore new avenues of supplementing tuition income to remain a financially sustainable, thriving institution. Throughout the interview process, Dave fully steeped himself in life at GA, and I imagine he will have an outstanding running start before his tenure even begins on June 1.” 

Pannepacker is currently serving as the Global Chief Operating Officer of Capula Investment Management, where he runs operations, product control, and trading business management. His past experiences include serving in COO/CFO group roles for some of the largest financial institutions in the world, including Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, and HSBC. Throughout all of his professional positions, Pannepacker managed billion-dollar budgets and million-dollar savings programs. He has traveled all over the world, launching new financial platforms and supervising more than 230 employees in multiple countries. 

“I am truly honored and privileged to be joining Germantown Academy,” said Pannepacker. “Everyone that I had the pleasure to meet was passionate about providing past, present, and future GA students the most comprehensive, well-rounded education and support network possible. I thank Mae, Sean, and Steve for my personal campus tours, which showed me GA in action. From arts and sciences, to rockets, 3D printing, languages, athletics and much, much more, GA is leading by example and creating an environment in which students can be themselves and give their very best in all that they do. 

“I am looking forward to becoming a part of the family and continuing in Tom Taft’s tradition of ‘leading with yes,’” Pannepacker continued. “I am moving home to Pennsylvania after 21 years abroad to share my experiences with our future leaders and give back to the community where I grew up. I want to ensure GA’s mission goes from strength to strength for another 260 years.”

Pannepacker has experience writing successful business plans to secure extra strategic funding, establishing new offices in the US, UK, and India, preparing reports and presenting to executive boards and auditors, and collaborating with industry forums to address the changing banking landscape. 

Pannepacker is a graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School and Thomas Jefferson University (formerly Philadelphia University). He spent a semester at the London School of Economics and another at don Quijote S.L. in Madrid.