FAQs

Who is responsible for hiring the Head of School?

The Board of Trustees is responsible for hiring, supporting and evaluating the Head of School. This is one of the Board’s primary responsibilities. The Board’s hiring decision will be informed by the recommendation from the Head of School Search Committee.

Who is on the Head of School Search Committee?

The Search Committee, comprised of the individuals listed below, will work in partnership with the Search Partners to review candidate resumes, interview first-round candidates and select finalists.

Jon Nickens, Current & Alumni Parent (Search Committee Co-chair, Board Chair)

Angel Lewis ’92 (Search Committee Co-chair, Trustee)

Guy Henshaw, Current & Alumni Grandparent (Trustee)

Stephanie McGraw, Current & Alumni Parent (Upper School Faculty)

Amy Rasner Clulow, Current Parent (Director of People & Culture)

Leny Riebli, Current & Alumni Parent (Trustee)

Emily Shinkle, Current Parent (Dean of Residential Life & Upper School Faculty)

Catherine Yewell, Alumni Parent (Trustee)

Matt Zahner (Middle School Faculty and Athletic Coach)

Are we using a search firm to assist with the search?

The Board of Trustees has retained the services of Diversified Search Group | Storbeck Search (Storbeck), to oversee the search and advise the Search Committee throughout the process. Storbeck has an extensive Pre-K-12 education practice and has successfully placed a range of senior school leaders and heads of schools across the country. Our partners in this effort are Managing Director Staci Williams Seeley and Senior Search Associate Christopher Bernard.

What is the timeline for the search?

The Board of Trustees anticipates announcing the next Head of School in spring of 2025 to assume the role by July 2026. Other milestones include:

Winter 2025 - Initial candidate interviews with Search Committee.
Winter 2025 - finalists visit Athenian campus.
Spring 2025 - Head of School selection announced.

Will I have the opportunity to share my thoughts/provide input?

The search process includes several opportunities for community input. During their visit to campus, our Search Partners spoke to many students, faculty and staff, school leadership, parents, and the board of trustees and their visit was followed by a community-wide survey that was distributed broadly by email and on the school’s website. If you did not have a chance to share your thoughts while the survey was open, email your feedback to Search Committee Co-Chairs, Jon Nickens and Angel Lewis ’92.

How can I stay informed about the progress of the search?

The Search Committee communicates with community members throughout the process by email and posts those updates on the Head of School search webpage.

Will the Interim Head of School be eligible for the permanent Head of School position?

While we would have been thrilled if Interim Head Quincy McLaughlin was available for consideration for the permanent role, she will be returning east to be with her family at the end of her interim headship. We are incredibly grateful for Quincy’s outstanding collaborative and future-focused leadership, and for stewarding the school through two Head of School transitions. She joins us in having terrific confidence that the head of school search will yield another talented school leader. In this search, because the school has been so well served by Quincy's two terms as Interim Head of School, the Board of Trustees did determine the interim was eligible for the permanent role, although most often in the independent school industry this is not the case.

Back