Head of School Search - The Awty International School

Head of School Search

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Announcement from the Awty Board of Trustees

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December 1, 2021
POSITION STATEMENT

December 1, 2021
UPDATE

Awty’s search for a new Head of School is underway! Our search consultants, Coreen Hester and Jim Scott with RG175, were on campus from October 31 through November 2. They met with a broad cross-section of the Awty community including parents, faculty, senior administration, alumni, students, trustees, and others. They also toured our campus, including progress on our very impressive Campus Center building project. The purpose of these visits was threefold:

To obtain a broader and deeper understanding of Awty and what makes it such a unique learning experience,
To better understand what is important to the various constituents of the Awty community, and
To help identify the traits and characteristics for which we are looking in a new Head of School.

Your participation made this process a success.

RG175 has also compiled the results of the community survey distributed in late October. I am very pleased to report that we received 629 responses, including 381 responses from current and former parents and 176 responses from current and former students. Several things were quite clear from both the survey results and the on-campus visits. First, the Awty community highly values the School’s academic excellence, which of course necessitates a forward-thinking, high-performing faculty and administration. Second, we are deeply committed to our bilingual, multi-lingual programming in a diverse, inclusive community. This is simply part of our DNA. Finally, we believe our new Head of School should have a clear vision and strategy to ensure that Awty prepares students for the future, while always leading with honesty and integrity.

Working with the Search Committee, RG175 used the results of the community survey and the input from the in-person campus visits to develop a Position Statement. This Position Statement is the initial recruiting tool by which we hope to attract outstanding candidates from around the world. It is posted on RG175’s website and has been distributed to targeted potential candidates. The Position Statement is also posted on this website for your convenience. Respondents to the community survey also identified several potential candidates who will be evaluated and contacted by RG175.

The deadline for completed applications is January 15, 2022. Between now and then, RG175 will continue to reach out to potential candidates and begin the process of vetting completed applications. While early, RG175 reports that response to the Awty HOS posting has been “enthusiastic.” Shortly after January 15, the Search Committee and RG175 will begin the process of winnowing the applicant pool to a shorter list of candidates for further examination. Our goal remains to identify our new Head of School by Spring 2022. Stay tuned for further updates, and feel free to contact me or any member of the Search Committee with questions or suggestions.

Best regards,

C. Robert Bunch
Chair, HOS Search Committee

October 21, 2021
LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY

Dear Awty International Community,

With Lisa’s decision to retire as Awty’s Head of School effective June 30, 2023, a search for a new Head of School begins. Awty’s Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for selecting our new Head, and is committed to a process which is inclusive, transparent and casts a wide net.

The Head of School Search Committee
The Board has appointed a Search Committee to guide and oversee the search process. All of the Search Committee members have children either currently attending Awty or who have recently graduated. About a third of the members have children either attending or who graduated from the French Program.

The Search Consultants
One of the Committee’s first assignments was to identify and select an executive search firm to work with the Committee and the Board. Several search firms were identified and interviewed. The Committee selected Resource Group 175 (“RG175”), an internationally recognized search firm specializing in recruiting heads and other senior administrators for independent schools, especially international schools. Our search will be led by Coreen Hester and Jim Scott. Both Coreen and Jim have extensive experience as heads of independent schools and have active affiliations with leading domestic and international educational associations and networks. Perhaps most importantly, they both have a passion for understanding a school’s unique culture and needs and finding the ideal recruit who fits that niche at a particular point in time.

The Process
Coreen and Jim will be on the Awty campus Monday, November 1 and Tuesday, November 2. Their visit will be an intense effort to meet and interview administrators, faculty and staff, and students. They will also spend time with the Search Committee, members of the Board of Trustees, and other members of the Awty community.

Additionally, as part of their discovery process, Coreen and Jim have created an online survey to solicit confidential perspectives from the entire Awty community. Please see the email you received from me on October 21 for a link to this survey. We encourage everyone to participate in this critical process and share your candid views. Responses are due by October 28, 2021. The Search Committee will use the results of the online survey, the various interviews conducted by RG175 and other input to craft a Position Statement to be published in mid-November and supplied to all candidates.

We currently anticipate a mid-January deadline for applications and hope that the Board will have selected our next Head of School by next Spring. This selection timing, over a year before our new Head of School-designee takes office, will give him or her appropriate time to give proper notice to their current employer and to work with Lisa to ensure a smooth transition. We will keep you apprised of our progress throughout the search process.

While we are saddened by Lisa’s decision to retire as Awty’s Head of School after ten years of tremendous success as Akbar described in his letter dated October 19, we look forward to helping the Board find the best possible person to build on the brilliant edifice Lisa has been so instrumental in creating. Thanks to all of you for your commitment to this process.

Yours very truly,

C. Robert Bunch
HOS Search Committee Chair

October 19, 2021
MESSAGES FOR THE AWTY COMMUNITY FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD AND THE HEAD OF SCHOOL