Randall Shō Northrop serves as History Department Chair and Executive Director of the Capabilities Approach. He holds an MSt in Global and Imperial History from the University of Oxford, where he focused on cultural, intellectual, and transnational history. Before joining Walker’s, Randall taught Global History and Social Sciences at Beaver Country Day School in Brookline, Massachusetts. At Beaver, he also served as grade dean for 9th and 10th grades. At Walker’s, Randall leads the integration of the Capabilities Approach across the curriculum, ensuring that every student’s learning experience nurtures leadership, innovation, and a commitment to social impact. In the History Department, he works to create inquiry-driven courses that center girls’ voices, connect past and present, and empower students to understand — and shape — the world around them. He has taught a variety of courses at Walker’s, including Advanced Microeconomics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Global History, Media and Society, Inequalities in the United States, U.S. History, etc. Randall serves as the faculty advisor for the Model UN club, the Asian Student Collective, and coaches cross country. He lives on campus with his wife, Julie Relyea, and their daughter, Adeline.

What other roles do you hold on campus?

Middle School Lacrosse Coach

What was it about Walker’s that made you want to work here?

In speaking with the students, teachers, and academic leadership at Walker’s, it is clear that the community is built around empowering young people to take action — in their own learning process and in their collective cultivation of an empathic and just future.