Dear King Community,
The Board of Trustees' most critical work at an independent school is identifying, recruiting, hiring, and supporting the Head of School. During King School's leadership transition, we wish to assure you that finding the right person to lead King in its next chapter is a duty we undertake with great care and deliberation, and your partnership is an essential part of this process.
In this letter, we hope to outline the next steps in the search process so that you know what to expect in the coming months.
The Head of School Search: A Two-Stage Process
As mentioned in our January 19 communication, the Board engaged Spencer Stuart, a leading executive search firm, to conduct a comprehensive search.
You may click here to learn more about Spencer Stuart's expertise in the field of nonprofit education. The two consultants leading our search process are Meaghan C. Becker and Michele E. Haertel.
Due to the hiring cycle at academic institutions, leadership transitions often involve a two-stage process that starts with the appointment of an experienced Interim Head while the search for the next Head of School advances. This will be the case at King School.
Stage 1
In the past three weeks, members of the Board's Executive Committee have engaged in productive conversations with seasoned candidates for the interim position and will make a recommendation to the full Board. Candidates have begun meeting with trustees, the Interim Management Team, representatives of the Parent's Association, and Division Heads. Our goal is to appoint the interim leader in the near term for a start date in the summer of 2021.
Stage 2
In tandem with this process is the search for King's next Head of School. This is a lengthier and more involved stage that will include representation from all stakeholders. It is our intent to appoint the new Head with a start date of July 2022.
The Search Committee
The Board of Trustees has created a Head of School Search Committee who will take part in a thoughtful and thorough process to develop and assess prospective candidates. This committee's ultimate goal is to recommend one person to the Board for consideration as King's next Head of School.
The committee will engage broadly with the school community and listen to a wide variety of views about the school and the qualities needed in the next Head of School. The Search Committee will keep the community informed throughout the search process while respecting the confidentiality of the candidates' recruitment process.
Below you will find the names of our community members who have kindly agreed to serve on this committee. We are incredibly grateful for the time, energy, and thoughtfulness that we know they will employ in this process.
Should you wish to contact the Search Committee's Co-Chairs, you may write to them at the email addresses provided as links on their names.
Co-Chairs
Mi-Sun Freeman P'22, '29, Trustee
Members of the Committee (In alphabetical order)
Adam Boaz, Upper School Faculty
Jenny Bruno P'24, '25, '33, Lower School Faculty
Kyle Clark P'22, '27, Trustee
Tom Conheeney P'15, '15, '18, Trustee
Jessica Demmo P'21, '23, '23, '25, '28, Trustee
Thomas King P'20, '20, '23, Board Chair
Kim Leeker, Former Associate Head of School, Finance and Operations
Mini Nunna P'22, Parent's Association President
Stephen Sheehan, KLHT '07, Director of Alumni Engagement
Michelle Sibrizzi, Middle School Faculty
Lorenzo Wyatt P'21, '23, '24, Trustee
Broader Community Involvement
The search for King's next Head of School will be an inclusive and multistaged undertaking that will allow us to build a collective vision for King's next chapter. Below you will find a list of outreach initiatives:
Community survey: In the next few weeks, we will be sending a comprehensive survey to the King community to collect feedback from all stakeholders. This will be a confidential survey with Spencer Stuart collecting submissions.
Discovery sessions: In the next few days, consultants from Spencer Stuart will begin scheduling virtual meetings with different segments of our community, including parents, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The consultants will seek your input on King as a school and as a community, which will help inform the type of leader who should guide us in the coming years.
Dedicated email address: Spencer Stuart created the email address KingHead@SpencerStuart.com to allow community members to provide feedback and ask questions at their convenience. Your feedback and input will help inform both the work of our consultants and of our Search Committee.
Dedicated Webpage: We have created a webpage that will be regularly updated with pertinent information.
This leadership transition represents an opportunity for our school community to reaffirm its institutional values as well as its mission and vision. We welcome your participation and appreciate your partnership as we embark on this journey.
Sincerely,
Thomas King P'20, '20, '23
Chair, Board of Trustees
Mi-Sun Freeman P'22, '29
Trustee and Co-Chair of Head Search Committee
Eric Gerster P'22
Trustee and Co-Chair of Head Search Committee
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