.jpg?command_1=resize&width_1=430&height_1=430)
Starting a new job at a school in the middle of summer can be disorienting: hallways are empty, offices are sparsely populated, and staggered vacation schedules make collaboration a challenge. When Kimberly Johnson, Executive Assistant to the Head of School, arrived at Friends in the summer of 2018, there was an added complication: construction had temporarily relocated the School’s administrative offices to the 15th Street Annex. From a temporary desk in A21, Kimberly hit the ground running.
Collaboration has defined her work ever since. On any given day, Kimberly might coordinate a meeting between the Head of School and a parent, colleague, student, or alum; support the work of the Board of Trustees; or lend her expertise to an event large or small. Her role touches nearly every constituency at Friends, making her both a connector and a resource across the community.
But it is Kimberly’s empathy that makes her stand out. Students, parents, and colleagues know they can turn to her to lend an ear, hear a concern, offer perspective, or advocate when something needs attention. Her office is often abuzz with students and colleagues passing through—sometimes to discuss something serious, sometimes simply to say hello or grab a snack.
“The Main Office is a welcoming sanctuary—a place where anyone can pause, be themselves, and take a breath,” Kimberly says. “When I was growing up, the principal’s office felt like an intimidating place where you only went if something was wrong. Our main office at Friends is the complete opposite. Whether someone comes in to grab a snack, share a joke, recite Shakespeare, practice verb conjugation, or simply sit in quiet comfort for a few minutes, I hope they leave feeling grounded, supported, and heard.”
That instinct begins with listening. Kimberly seeks to understand the perspectives around an issue before discerning how her time, experience, or insight might be most helpful. It is a quality that reflects both the empathy at the heart of Friends’ Portrait of a Learner and the Quaker practice of continuing revelation.
Now working alongside her third Head of School, Kimberly has also become a source of consistency through periods of transition and change. In the fall of 2025, her connection to Friends deepened further when her son, August ’38, entered Kindergarten. Kimberly now experiences the community from yet another perspective—not only as a colleague and confidant, but also as a parent.
Across each of these roles, Kimberly brings the same instinct to listen, connect, and care for others. She has helped strengthen the relationships that hold a community together and, in doing so, exemplifies the empathy and community-mindedness at the heart of Friends’ Portrait of a Learner.
Focus on Friends is an initiative of the Friends Seminary administration that celebrates the people and programs that help our community thrive. At Friends, our Portrait of a Learner (POL) extends beyond classrooms, stages, and playing fields into our adult community. The qualities we seek to cultivate in students are ones we embrace ourselves. This year, Focus on Friends highlights members of our professional community who embody those qualities through their work and, in ways large and small, help advance our shared mission to prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be. Each month, a member of the Senior Leadership Team selects an individual, group, department, or office to recognize. This month’s story was chosen and written by Bryan Hogan, Director of Communications.
