Head of School Search

List of 10 items.

• How can I be involved in the Head of School search process?

  The Board of Trustees is committed to making the search an inclusive process and is providing opportunities for community input at various times throughout the process. The first opportunity was in early February when members of the school community were invited to share their thoughts about the School and the search through a confidential online survey administered by Educators Collaborative. Then, when the search consultants from Educators Collaborative visited campus in mid-February, they conducted listening sessions to learn more about New Hampton’s strengths, the opportunities facing the school over the next several years, and the traits, skills, and experience desired in the next Head of School. Members of the community, including students, were invited to participate in those sessions.
  
  

  Finally, as the search nears its conclusion in the fall, members of the school community will have an opportunity to meet the finalist candidates and provide feedback on their impressions of each. 

• What if I know someone who may be interested?

  Interested candidates should contact Mary Seppala (mseppala@educatorscollaborative.com) or Nat Conard (nconard@educatorscollaborative.com) of Educators Collaborative directly. They will maintain confidentiality for all recommended candidates. We also invite members of the community to make referrals of appropriate candidates. You may directly contact Mary or Nat to share names and contact information of potential candidates, and they will reach out to them. 

• What is the general timeline for the Head of School search?

  One way to think about the search process is that it essentially consists of three phases.
  
  

  In the first phase, the Educators Collaborative consultants get to know the school through conversations with the Search Committee, the Board of Trustees, the administration and faculty, parents, alumni, and students; through a community survey; and through reviewing data and documents provided by the school. This enables the consultants to develop a leadership profile for the next Head of New Hampton School. Simultaneously, the consultants publicize the leadership opportunity and begin their outreach to prospective candidates.
  
  

  The second phase takes place almost exclusively behind the scenes and is highly confidential, as the Educators Collaborative consultants recruit and do the initial vetting of candidates through interviews and reference checks. While any qualified candidate will be considered up until the completion of the search, interested candidates will be asked to contact Mary and Nat before a deadline that will be established soon, so that their candidacies can be appropriately vetted.
  
  

  In the final phase, the Search Committee becomes very engaged, learning more about candidates whom the consultants have put forward for consideration, conducting preliminary confidential interviews, selecting the finalists, and assuring that the finalists’ visits to the School are successful. During the finalists’ visits, members of the community will meet with each of the candidates and provide detailed feedback through the search consultants to the Search Committee for consideration in determining which individual will be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The work of the Search Committee concludes when it presents its nomination of the candidate of choice to the Board of Trustees.
  
  

  It is our expectation that the final phase will take place in the fall of the 2025-2026 school year. Each search has its own unique pace and timing, however, and the time frame may shift, if necessary.

• What is the role of the Search Committee?

  The Search Committee oversees the entire search process and is charged with selecting a candidate for Head of School to recommend to the New Hampton Board of Trustees, which bears the ultimate responsibility for appointing the Head of School. Members of the Committee will review candidate files, select and interview semifinalists and finalists, and make reference calls.

• What is the role of Educators Collaborative, the search firm, and how were they selected?

  A sub-group of the Board of Trustees conducted broad research on national search firms. They reviewed proposals and conducted initial and follow-up interviews. Following reference checks, the group unanimously recommended to the Board of Trustees the selection of Educators Collaborative. 
  
  Educators Collaborative is a nationally-known search consulting firm, specializing in finding heads and senior leaders for independent schools. Nat Conard and Mary Seppala have been engaged to assist with the search. Nat and Mary have both had many years of experience in independent school leadership, and collectively they have assisted numerous schools with head and senior administrator searches. They are also familiar with New Hampton, boarding schools, and the New England independent school environment.
  
  Mary and Nat will provide guidance to the Search Committee on format, logistics, procedures, and best practices in the search process. In addition, they will recruit and interview candidates, check references, and support the Search Committee throughout the interview process. Educators Collaborative will also provide transition support to the new Head of School after that person has been hired and throughout the new Head’s first year.

• What is the scope of the search?

  The search for the new Head of School for New Hampton is international in scope. Candidates from throughout the United States and abroad will be considered, and nominations are welcome. The consultants also devote considerable effort to recruiting candidates who might not be actively seeking a new position. Many candidates will not want it known at their current institutions that they are considering a change, and for this reason, we must maintain strict confidentiality about individual candidates right up until the finalist stage of the process.

• Will there be any internal candidates?

  All candidates, both internal and external, who are interested in the opportunity to be the next Head of New Hampton School are encouraged to apply. To every extent possible, the Search Committee will attempt to create a level playing field, ensuring that the eventual nominee as Head-elect is assessed in the context of the entire field of candidates. In addition, the confidentiality of internal candidates is as important as that of candidates from outside the School.

• How will candidates be evaluated?

  Candidates will be assessed in light of the skills and characteristics identified by the community and described in the leadership profile in the Information for Candidates report.  Those skills and characteristics will be drawn from the survey responses and listening sessions conducted by the Educators Collaborative consultants. With the assistance of the consultants, the Search Committee will go through a series of steps to acquaint themselves with the pool of candidates before narrowing that group down to a group of semi-finalists who will be confidentially interviewed, and then to a smaller group (likely three or four) of finalists. The Search Committee’s evaluation of the finalist candidates will be informed by input from members of the community who will meet with the candidates when they are on campus.

• What is the role of the School's Board of Trustees in the search process?

  The Board has charged the Search Committee with conducting a comprehensive, national and international search for a new Head of School. The Board of Trustees will refer all inquiries related to the search to the Co-Chairs of the Search Committee and Educators Collaborative. As the process draws to completion, the Board will review the recommendations of the Search Committee, formally resolve to pursue a candidate, bear responsibility for negotiating any terms of employment, and ultimately appoint the new Head of School. The Head of School is the only employee that is hired by and reports directly to the Board of Trustees, and, as a result, choosing a new Head of School is one of the Board’s most important responsibilities.

• When will the new Head of School begin?

  The person selected by the Board of Trustees will officially become New Hampton’s Head of School on July 1, 2026.  Until that time, Joe Williams will continue to lead the School. We anticipate that there will be opportunities during the second half of the 2025-26 school year when the Head-Elect will be on campus and have a chance to learn more about the School, but it is a high probability that the selected individual will have ongoing professional responsibilities elsewhere.