Deena J. Carey joined Kentucky Country Day School as Head of School in July 2025, bringing with her a deep commitment to students, teachers, and the transformative power of education. 

Her appointment at KCD followed a nationwide search that drew more than thirty candidates. As noted by the Board of Trustees, “During her visit to campus, Ms. Carey emerged as an experienced, intelligent, and passionate educational leader—and the individual best suited to lead our fine school forward.” Her strengths, they explained, combined “administrative and operational expertise” with “a caring nature, thoughtful listening, and depth of character.”

Originally from Cincinnati, Ms. Carey earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati before completing her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and Administration at George Washington University. 

Although she studied Chemistry and initially pictured a future in the sciences, Ms. Carey’s path took a different turn when she “stumbled into” a substitute-teaching opportunity. That moment proved transformative. “I was hooked. I had discovered the joy of connecting with students and making complex concepts come alive.” 

In 2012, she was named High School Chemistry Teacher of the Year for the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society. She also served as an AP reader in Environmental Science for the College Board and contributed as a writer for the American Chemical Society’s high school exam. 

Before joining the Bearcat community, Ms. Carey served as Associate Head of School at the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana—one of the nation’s premier early childhood through 12th grade independent day schools. At Newman, Ms. Carey oversaw the day-to-day operations of the school, with specific leadership responsibilities in Academics, Athletics, and the Arts across all grade levels. Her career also includes significant leadership roles at respected institutions around the country, including Upper School Head at Parker School (a K-12 co-educational day school in Hawaii) and Assistant Principal at DePaul Cristo Rey School (a private, college-preparatory high school in Cincinnati). 

Ms. Carey’s move to Louisville has felt, in many ways, like a return home. “My roots in Kentucky run deep, too,” she shared. “My paternal grandmother was born and raised on a dairy farm in Maysville, and my father was born in Portsmouth. There is a strong sense of Kentucky pride on that side of the family, and it’s been fun reconnecting with distant cousins who still live in the region.”

Now settled into the Louisville community, Ms. Carey has enjoyed exploring local parks and restaurants, attending events, and experiencing the warmth of the city firsthand. Outside of school, she loves visiting her two daughters: Katie, a 2024 Wellesley College graduate now pursuing a law degree at the University of Cincinnati, and Ellie, a senior at Boston College.