Head of School Search

Join me in Welcoming St. Mark’s Cathedral School’s Incoming Head of School, Dylan Deal

January 17, 2023

Dear Members of the St. Mark’s Community,

The Board of Trustees and I are delighted to announce Mr. Dylan Deal as St. Mark’s Cathedral School’s next Head of School, beginning July 1, 2023, our 70th school year.

Our Search Committee unanimously recommended Dylan to the Board of Trustees following an extensive nationwide search. This past September, our consultants from The Education Group sent the St. Mark’s community a survey in order to identify the qualities and qualifications required in its next head of school. In Dylan, we found a candidate who embodies those identified attributes and more. He is an accomplished administrator in a large preschool through twelfth-grade school, an experienced educator, an award-winning coach, and a visionary leader eager to embrace St. Marks’ traditions as it moves forward as a leader among Episcopal parish schools.

Originally from Atlanta, GA, Dylan comes to us from Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, PA, where he currently serves as Director of the Merle-Smith Campus and Head of Upper School. Throughout his 21-year career, which includes stints at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, GA and Bayside Academy in Daphne, AL, he has taught Religion and English, served as a Dean of Students, and coached baseball and softball. His current responsibilities as a Division Head include overseeing his division’s academic program, its extensive fine arts and athletics programs, and its facilities. Dylan’s notable experience in senior leadership has prepared him well for promoting the St. Mark’s mission, building community, managing and embracing current faculty structures, engaging with the Board of Trustees, and, most importantly, caring for our students and families.

Dylan holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion from Davidson College, a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Certificate in School Management and Leadership from Harvard Business School.

Dylan and his family are Episcopalians. He is married to the creative, thoughtful, and gracious Katie Arnold. They are parents to two delightful daughters, Larkin, 11, and Winnie, 7, and a sweet mutt named Fern! Dylan and his family are excited about moving to Shreveport to join the St. Mark’s community for the next great chapter of its history.

The Search Process

After the August announcement of Dr. Chris Carter’s departure at the conclusion of this school year, the Board of Trustees moved quickly and intentionally to implement a comprehensive search process. We retained the consulting services of The Education Group in order to receive professional guidance on our process, as well as maximize the scope of our search. Our Board then appointed a Search Committee, consisting of current and past Trustees, as well as an Advisory Committee consisting of faculty members, Cathedral representatives, and current parents from the St. Mark’s community.

Upon completion of their on-campus visit on September 20, 2022, our consultants screened and interviewed more than 30 applicants across the United States and presented 8 fully vetted candidates for the Search Committee’s consideration. The Search Committee narrowed the candidate pool down to six semi-finalist candidates, whom they then interviewed in mid-November. They selected three final candidates to visit St. Mark’s in early December. The campus visits involved meetings with Dean Alston Johnson, the Board of Trustees, the Vestry, the Search and Advisory Committees, faculty, staff, students, and St. Mark’s community members. A Search Committee member was present for every constituent engagement that each candidate had while on campus, and each constituent group was afforded the opportunity to provide feedback on each candidate through a digital survey.

The feedback we received from our faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and students who met with Dylan during his campus visit was overwhelmingly positive. This feedback, along with the Search Committee’s observations of his interactions with our constituent groups, made it clear that he commanded further consideration.

The next step in due diligence was for our Search Committee to formally meet with our Advisory Committee. On December 15th, the members of these two committees met for well over an hour, during which time each member of the Advisory Committee was provided an opportunity to share their thoughts on each candidate, as well as the thoughts of our community members with whom they interact on a daily basis. At the conclusion of this meeting, the Search Committee felt confident that Dylan Deal was the right candidate to pursue.

Our Search Committee then proceeded to check Dylan’s references. Reference checks were conducted in pairs so that two committee members were present when speaking with each of his references. In addition to the references that he provided, our Search Committee also spoke to no less than four references that were not provided in his candidate packet. To a one, each of his references, to include the additional ones that were not part of his candidate packet, spoke of Dylan in the highest regard. Two of them, former colleagues, even suggested that they would relocate for the opportunity to work with him again!

On December 28th, the Board of Trustees convened during a Special Session to hear the Search Committee’s recommendation. Upon discussion of the process, feedback from our community, Dylan’s references, and Advisory Committee feedback, our Board of Trustees unanimously approved the recommendation.

In the days following the Board’s approval, Dylan’s appointment was then approved by the Vestry of St. Mark’s Cathedral.

On January 7th, Dylan, along with his wife, Katie, made an additional visit to St. Mark’s in order to visit the school one more time, as well as gain an additional feel for the town to which they would consider relocating their family. During this time, they took an extensive tour of the school and Cathedral, toured Shreveport, and had dinner with a few members of both the Board of Trustees Executive team and members of the Search Committee. It was a delightful visit for all involved!

On Wednesday, January 11, 2023, Dylan formally accepted the offer to serve as our next Head of School.

Leading Our Future and Forging the Path

Dylan’s appointment begins a new chapter in the St. Mark’s Cathedral School story. During Dr. Chris Carter’s 15-year tenure, he has worked tirelessly to fulfill our mission, and we are thankful for his continued work to ensure that St. Mark’s is ready for the future and its new leadership.

As we turn the page, we are encouraged that, in Dylan Deal, we see a leader who is committed to fostering a culture of excellent academic preparation, thoughtful innovation, creative experiences, and an extensive athletics program. We see someone who is both capable and willing to set high standards for teaching and learning while remaining true to the St. Mark’s Cathedral School Episcopal identity, mission, and parish values.

With Gratitude

On behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, I have many folks to thank. I must first thank our Search Committee members – Laura Baudoin, Lloyd Brown, Michel Fritze, Lisa Love, and Chris Walls – for the untold hours and energy that they committed to this process. Each of them answered the call to serve with our school’s best interest at heart, and I’m most grateful for the steadfast professionalism each of them exemplified while serving on this committee. In a word, they’ve all been, “exceptional.” Thank you!

I’d be remiss if I did not, also, thank the families of our Search Committee, as I know they, too, were asked to make personal sacrifices in order to facilitate the success of this process. Thank you!

I thank Dean Alston Johnson and the wardens of St. Mark’s Cathedral, Bill Kalmbach (Senior Warden) and Lisa Love (Junior Warden). Your continued support and commitment to maintaining a healthy church-school relationship throughout the search process was invaluable. Thank you!

A most sincere word of thanks goes out to the members of our Advisory Committee – Lee Berry, Kristen Dennis, Scott Deupree, Valerie Gamble, Aimee Greene, Sanders Hearne, Paige Holmes, Anne Jenkins, Emily Vigen, and Cheryl Vines. Your willingness to serve in an extended capacity made this process as collaborative as possible, and your unclouded commentary to our Search Committee was, indeed, vital. Thank you!

Our school owes Caroline Andress and Alexis Wedgeworth a tremendous debt of gratitude. They served as our school’s points of contact for our consultants, coordinated all of our candidate visits, and facilitated all school communications regarding this process. It is important for all of us to remember that our candidates were also interviewing us. Caroline and Alexis, besides being critical facilitators of this process, went above and beyond what was expected of them to ensure that we made a favorable first impression upon all of our candidates. Take a bow, ladies. Thank you!

Last, but certainly not least, I want to express our gratitude to the administrators, faculty, students, and parents who graciously made time to participate in the search process. Your participation allowed us to conduct a search that was thorough, deliberate, and collaborative. Your feedback served as a critical beacon of guidance to our Search Committee throughout this process, and your demonstrated effort reflects great credit upon our school community. Thank you!

Finally, Welcome

The Board of Trustees and the Search Committee are confident that we have found a new Head of School who will serve St. Mark’s for many years, and there is no doubt that St. Mark’s will thrive under Dylan Deal’s leadership. While the Board is organizing a Transition Committee for Dylan, it is absolutely incumbent upon each of us to hold ourselves personally accountable to facilitate Dylan and his family’s successful transition to the St. Mark’s Cathedral School community. We thank all of you for supporting St. Mark’s now, and in the future. Please join me in welcoming the Deal family to our community!

Most sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, St. Mark’s Cathedral School Board of Trustees

Please scroll down to read a letter from Dylan to the St. Mark’s community.

Dear St. Mark’s Cathedral School Community,

It is with profound joy and sincere humility that I accept the opportunity to serve St. Mark’s Cathedral School as Head of School. From the very beginning when I saw the literature about the position, I suspected there was a chance for this to be an excellent match. As the interview process unfolded my certainty grew. As a servant at heart, I sensed immediately the community’s passion for and commitment to the growth of young people. Two visits to the beautiful St. Mark’s campus solidified my hunch that this is a school designed for young people to thrive, to grow in confidence, and to realize their individual and collective potential.

You can expect that I will take time to get to know all of you, the school, and the community. You can expect me to lead with integrity, authenticity, passion, humility, discernment, and kindness. And you can expect me to keep St. Mark’s mission at the forefront of deliberations and decisions and to keep our young people at the center of our conversations.

I want to express deep gratitude for the Search Committee, whose enthusiasm for and commitment to St. Mark’s seem boundless; for the administrators, namely Alexis Wedgeworth and Caroline Andress, who gave so graciously of their time and knowledge of the school; and for all of the people we met whose kindness and hospitality were peerless. And I want to share my immense excitement to work with these and all community members to build upon the great work St. Mark’s does to prepare young people for a world that desperately needs them. I look forward to getting to know all of you as we move forward together.

See you soon!

Be well,

Dylan Deal

Update 12/20/22: Discernment Phase

Dear St. Mark’s Cathedral School Community,

The excitement of Christmas is now upon us, and I know you and your families are ready for the Christmas Break!

On Monday, December 12th, as you may know, we concluded the on-campus visits from our three finalists for the Head of School position.

I must first thank Caroline Andress and Alexis Wedgeworth for all of their efforts to coordinate these three visits. As you could see from the schedules, our finalists completed a very busy and time-sensitive series of meetings during their time here. The efficiency with which they were able to complete their scheduled meetings is a direct result of the effort and attention to detail that these two ladies put in to planning these visits. Take a bow, Caroline and Alexis!

At this point, our Search Committee is currently in the “discernment” phase of the Head of School Search process. This past Thursday, the Search Committee met with the Advisory Committee in order to hear each individual’s thoughts on the finalists, along with any thoughts that had been communicated to them from their peers, co-workers, etc. A lengthy and healthy exchange of information and ideas ensued amongst all involved. Additionally, the Search Committee has received all of the survey feedback on each finalist, and they are currently in the process of reviewing that data, which, thanks to our school community’s excellent participation, is fairly robust. Furthermore, while our consultants at The Education Group are contractually obligated to conduct some reference checks when screening candidates, the Search Committee will be conducting their own series of reference checks on our candidates.

The discernment process is expected to continue through the Christmas Break.

I appreciate the support of the staff, faculty, students, and parents who were willing and able to participate in the scheduled sessions with our candidates. Your participation will play a meaningful role in assisting our Search Committee to make a well-informed decision.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions regarding our Head of School search process.

Merry Christmas to all!

Kind regards,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees

Update 12/10/22: Finalist C Visit Schedule

Dear Parents,

The Search Committee is excited to welcome Finalist C to campus on Monday, December 12. There will be two opportunities for parents to meet with Finalist C.

8:00 - 8:45 a.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)

If you are scheduled to meet with Finalist C in another small group meeting, it is not necessary for you to attend the parent meetings, though you are certainly welcome to attend both. The goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for our community members to meet our Head of School finalists.

Below you will find a detailed schedule of Finalist C's visit. Additionally, those who attend the parent meetings will receive a survey link to provide your feedback. The survey will close on Tuesday, December 13 at 6 p.m. Your participation in the process is essential, and the Search Committee appreciates you taking the time to meet with Finalist C and complete the survey. This information will help the Search Committee as they continue the process of finding the next Head of School for St. Mark’s Cathedral School.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees

Visit Schedule

Update 12/7/22: Finalist B Visit Schedule

Dear Parents,

The Search Committee is excited to welcome Finalist B to campus on Friday, December 9. There will be two opportunities for parents to meet with Finalist B. Please note the slight change of time for the evening meeting.

8:00 - 8:45 a.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)
5:45 - 6:30 p.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)

If you are scheduled to meet with Finalist B in another small group meeting, it is not necessary for you to attend the parent meetings, though you are certainly welcome to attend both. The goal is to provide as many opportunities as possible for our community members to meet our Head of School finalists.

Below you will find a detailed schedule of Finalist B's visit. Additionally, those who attend the parent meetings will receive a survey link to provide your feedback. The survey will close on Saturday, December 10 at 6 p.m. Your participation in the process is essential, and the Search Committee appreciates you taking the time to meet with Finalist B and complete the survey. This information will help the Search Committee as they continue the process of finding the next Head of School for St. Mark’s Cathedral School.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees

Visit Schedule

Update 12/2/22: Finalist A Visit Schedule

Dear Parents,

The Search Committee is excited to welcome Finalist A to campus on Monday, December 5. There will be two opportunities for parents to meet with Finalist A.

8:00 - 8:45 a.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)

Below you will find a detailed schedule of Finalist A's visit. Additionally, those who attend the parent meetings will receive a survey link to provide your feedback. The survey will close on Tuesday, December 6 at 6 p.m. Your participation in the process is essential, and the Search Committee appreciates you taking the time to meet with Finalist A and complete the survey. This information will help the Search Committee as they continue the process of finding the next Head of School for St. Mark’s Cathedral School.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees

Visit Schedule

Update 12/2/22: Parent Meetings with Finalists

Dear Parents,

Over the next two weeks, we will welcome finalists to our St. Mark’s campus. Please remember that our finalists evaluate us as much as we assess them. Thank you for caring so much about this critical and exciting moment in the life of St. Mark’s Cathedral School. We sincerely value input from our community members and hope you will join us for the upcoming opportunities to meet our finalists.

Finalist A

Monday, December 5

8:00 - 8:45 a.m. Parent Meeting (Parish Hall)
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Parent Meeting (Parish Hall)

Finalist B

Friday, December 9

8:00 - 8:45 a.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)
5:45 - 6:30 p.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)

Finalist C

Monday, December 12

8:00 - 8:45 a.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)
6:00 - 6:45 p.m. Parent Meeting (Garden Room)

Here are a few details and reminders about the planned visit:

You are invited to attend the parent meetings (open to current and alum parents, grandparents, and Board members; St. Mark's employees who are also parents are asked to attend the faculty/staff meetings only please). Our finalists will answer a few prepared and impromptu questions.
The Education Group has contractually conducted extensive reference checks on all finalists. Additionally, St. Mark's conducts its own background, criminal, credential, and other safety checks in its hiring practices.
Our candidates are aware that they will answer various prepared and impromptu questions. Please come prepared with any well-thought questions you would like to ask.

For those who attend the parent meetings, there will be an opportunity to electronically submit confidential feedback via a survey link. Your views and perspectives provide meaningful information for use in confidence by the Search Committee. The final recommendation will come from the Search Committee, and the Board will appoint the Head of School. Please take the time to provide your thoughts.

We are grateful for your continued prayers and support during these last steps toward determining our next Head of School.

Sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees

Update 11/28/22: Finalists Visits

Dear St. Mark’s Cathedral School Community,

I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving Break!

This week, our Search Committee will be interviewing semi-finalists for the Head of School position at St. Mark’s Cathedral School.

By the end of this week, we expect to have three finalists identified for the position. We are currently planning to have all three finalists complete on-campus visits between the 5th and 13th of December. Each finalist’s visit to St. Mark’s will look very similar to the visit our consultants, Susie and Jay, made to our school back in September. There will be multiple opportunities for parents and teachers to meet each candidate. School administrative staff, as well as representatives from our student body, will also be provided an opportunity to meet the candidates.

In order for our school community to provide input to the Search Committee on each candidate, a survey link on each candidate will be sent to all faculty and staff, as well as any parents who attend a parent focus group meeting with a particular candidate. The link will be live for the duration of each candidate’s visit.

Once the Search Committee makes a determination on the finalists, we will publish a schedule of the dates on which they will conduct their visits, along with the time slots allocated for them to meet with each focus group.

It is my hope that those who are interested in meeting all of our Head of School candidates will, indeed, be able to do so!

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions on where we are or where we are headed over the next couple of weeks with regards to our Head of School search process.

Kind regards,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees

Update 9/29/22: Head of School Survey Results

Total Respondents: 128

Current Parents: 85 (68.4%)
Employees: 41 (30.03%)
Parents of Former Students: 28 (21.88%)
School Supporters: 21 (16.41%)

Phrases That Distinguish St. Mark's Cathedral School From Other Schools

Exceptional Educational Standards
Christian Atmosphere and School Culture
Commitment to Educating Inside and Outside the Classroom
Closeness and Caring of Faculty
Quality and Dedication of Faculty and Administration
School Size

Areas That Should Be Priorities for the Next Head of School

Uphold Standards of Excellence
Staying Competitive with Other Schools
Strengthening Academic Program
Recruit and Retain Exemplary Faculty
Increasing and Retaining Mission Appropriate Students
Consistent Firm yet Fair Decisions
Articulating School’s Value Proposition
Maintaining School Identity as a Premier Shreveport Private School

Professional and Career Experiences for the Next Head of School

Headship or Administrative Experience
Knowledge of Preschool-8th Grade Schools
Faculty Leadership and Mentoring Abilities
Business and Employee Management Skills
Strategic Long Term Planning Abilities
Ability to Promote the School in the Greater Shreveport Area

Characteristics or Qualities for the Next Head of School

Strong Communication Skills
Ease in Making Fair and Firm Decisions
Warm and Approachable Personality
Passion for Education
Ability to Bring People Together for a Common Purpose
Innovative Thinker
Openness to Diverse Views and New Ideas

Update 11/15/22: Recruitment & Candidate Development Stage

Dear St. Mark’s Cathedral School Community,

I hope everyone is enjoying a good school year thus far. It’s been a little while since our last communication regarding the Head of School Search process, so I wanted to get an update out to our school community.

There is a natural ebb and flow to the Head of School Search process. After an initial flurry of activity surrounding the launch of the search, as well as the development of a Candidate Description and School Profile, there is a period of relative quiet for our Search Committee. During this time, however, our search consultants from The Education Group have been actively engaged in developing a pool of qualified candidates.

The time spent building the pool of candidates is called "The Recruitment and Candidate Development Stage." It is during this time that our consultants, Susie and Jay, communicate with professional contacts and prospective candidates. They use the Candidate Description, School Profile, interviews, and investigations to locate and encourage suitable candidates for review by the Search Committee. Additionally, our consultants ask candidates to submit a letter of interest, a current resume, a statement of educational philosophy, and five references. While this phase of identifying and recruiting a deep candidate pool is typically one of the longest (approximately 8 weeks) and the most important of the search process, it is a relatively quiet time for our internal Search Committee.

At the end of this week, our consultants will provide our Search Committee with a Candidate Book that contains information on each qualified candidate that they have vetted. Upon receipt of the Candidate Book, the Search Committee will begin the critical process of reviewing the candidates in order to develop a panel of finalists for the Head of School position.

We appreciate everyone’s patience throughout this deliberate process. I will keep everyone informed as we continue to meet additional milestones over the next few weeks.

Kind regards,

Jimmy Campbell
Chair, SMCS Board of Trustees

Update 9/12/22: Head of School Survey & Parent Meetings

Dear St. Mark’s Cathedral School Community,

As has been mentioned in prior communication, everyone in our school community will be given multiple opportunities to take some ownership of the Head of School Search process.

The first opportunity for all to participate will be through the digital survey that our search consultants have put together in order to analyze specific data related to the qualities and qualifications our community desires in its next Head of School. Your candid feedback will be invaluable to providing them with the direction they need in order to effectively recruit and screen candidates for our Head of School Search. Please prioritize 15-20 minutes of your time to provide some well-thought answers to the few questions they are asking. The survey will close on Friday, September 16. (The link to the survey was emailed.)

Additionally, Susan and Jay, our Search Consultants from The Education Group, will be visiting our campus this month from Monday, September 19 through Wednesday, September 21. There will be two meeting opportunities for our parents to meet them and discuss the desires of the parental constituency. The times and locations of those two meeting opportunities are:

Monday, September 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Garden Room
Wednesday, September 21 at 8:15 a.m. in the Garden Room

I appreciate everyone’s efforts to contribute to this process. It will be most helpful if we can have maximum survey participation, so I respectfully ask that you take the time to answer the survey questions. The survey will be live until Friday, September 16. Please, also, mark your calendars and try to attend one of the meetings with Susan and Jay while they are visiting our campus. I’m confident that you will be impressed with their subject-matter expertise, professionalism, and warm nature.

Most sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Board of Trustees, Chair

Update 9/6/22: Head of School Search

Dear St. Mark’s Cathedral School Community,

As mentioned in my prior communication, the Board of Trustees has selected The Education Group (TEG) to serve as our search consultants to assist us in hiring a new Head of School. We were impressed by TEG’s experience in head of school searches, their collective understanding of Episcopal and independent schools in our region, and their commitment to helping us create a collaborative and inclusive search process. The team from TEG—Dr. Susan Lair and Jay Philpott—will assist our Search Committee in selecting the next Head of School for St. Mark’s Cathedral School. Please take a moment to review their biographies below:

Dr. Susan Lair Biography

Jay Philpott Biography

Our Head of School Search Committee will consist of the members below who were appointed based off of their diverse perspectives, experience as Trustees, and passion about the future of our school:

Laura Baudoin - Current Trustee, Current Parent
Lloyd Brown - Past Trustee, Current Parent, Cathedral Member
Michel Fritze - Current Trustee, Past Parents' Club President, Current Parent, Cathedral Member
Lisa Love - Current Trustee, Past Parent, Junior Warden of St. Mark’s Cathedral
Chris Walls - Past Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Current Parent, Cathedral Member

As current Chairman of the St. Mark’s Cathedral School Board of Trustees, I will serve on the Search Committee as a non-voting member.

Furthermore, as mentioned in prior communication, I have appointed an Advisory Committee to the Search Committee which will provide general guidance to the process, as well as offer an opinion to the Search Committee as to which finalists they feel are most fit to serve as our next Head of School. The members of the Advisory Committee were selected based off of their ability to render guidance from the perspectives of our faculty, parents, and Cathedral membership. Our Advisory Committee consists of the following individuals:

Lee Berry - Current & Past Parent, Cathedral Member
Kristen Dennis - Current 4th Grade Teacher
Scott Deupree - Past Parent, Past Warden of St. Mark’s Cathedral
Valerie Gamble - Current Trustee, Past Parents' Club President, Current & Past Parent
Aimee Greene - Current Kindergarten Teacher, Past Parent
Sanders Hearne - Current Trustee, Past Parent, Cathedral Member
Anne Jenkins - Past Trustee, Current & Past Parent
Emily Vigen - Current 8th Grade English Teacher, Current Parent, SMCS Alum, Cathedral Member
Cheryl Vines - Current Enrichment Teacher, Past Parent
Paige Wilbur - Current Parents' Club President, Current Parent, SMCS Alum

From Monday, September 19th, through Wednesday, September 21st, Susan and Jay will be on campus to meet with faculty, administrators, the Board, and the Search Committee. Parents will have two meeting opportunities (invitation will be sent next week). Prior to their visit, TEG will invite the St. Mark’s community to complete a brief, anonymous survey. Data collected from the survey and TEG’s campus visit will help our consultants develop a job description, highlighting the personal and professional qualities that our community seeks in its next Head of School. The survey link will be sent Monday, September 12th, so be on the lookout!

Sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Board of Trustees, Chair

Update 8/26/22: A Message from the Board Chair

Dear St. Mark’s Cathedral School Community,

As you all are aware, this current academic year will be Dr. Chris Carter’s final year serving as our Head of School.

Dr. Carter arrived at St. Mark’s Cathedral School in the summer of 2008, and he has led St. Mark’s with boundless energy and focus. Fifteen years as a Head of School is quite a journey, and his efforts to fulfill our school’s mission have been indefatigable. We are most appreciative of the body of work that his efforts have yielded, and we look forward to celebrating his service to our school over this upcoming school year.

One of the most important roles entrusted to your Board of Trustees is to hire a Head of School, if called to do so. This is a responsibility that your current Board of Trustees takes very seriously, and it is a task for which we are prepared.

We will be retaining the services of The Education Group to serve as our Search Consultants to assist us in this process. I, with counsel from the Board of Trustees, will be appointing a Search Committee which will consist of five to seven members who are either current or past Trustees. The Search Committee will work directly with our Search Consultants to execute the process of recruiting, screening, and interviewing candidates, and they will, ultimately, make a final recommendation to the Board of Trustees as to whom they should hire as our next Head of School.

In the interest of providing maximum input and diversity into this process, we will appoint an Advisory Committee to the Search Committee. The Advisory Committee will consist of no more than ten individuals drawn from the church and school community at large, and its role will be to provide general guidance to the Search Committee regarding the qualities and qualifications sought in the next Head of School, as well as assist in the logistical requirements of the overall process. The Advisory Committee will also have an opportunity to interview finalists for the position; and, thus, make recommendations to the Search Committee as to which candidate they feel can best serve as our Head of School.

Participation in the search process will not be limited to the aforementioned committees. Our entire school community will have an opportunity to provide valuable input in the near future through a digital survey. Additionally, our search consultants will conduct on-campus visits to speak with focus groups from within our community. Your participation in the process will be invaluable!

Once the search process is underway, we will have a link on our school website where you will be able to view updates from the Search Committee.

I’d like to close by, again, extending a most sincere word of thanks to Dr. Carter for his years of dedicated service to our school. We thank you, and we look forward to an exciting year of school for our students, faculty, and parents!

Sincerely,

Jimmy Campbell
Board of Trustees, Chair

The Education Group Search Consultants

Dr. Susan Lair
Read Bio

Jay Philpott
Read Bio

Head of School Search Committee

Laura Baudoin
Trustee, Parent

Lloyd Brown
Past Trustee, Parent, Cathedral Member

Michel Fritze
Trustee, Past Parents' Club President, Parent, Cathedral Member

Lisa Love
Trustee, Past Parent, Junior Warden of St. Mark's Cathedral

Chris Walls
Past Board Chairman, Parent, Cathedral Member

Jimmy Campbell,
Non-Voting Member
Board Chairman, Parent

Advisory Committee

Lee Berry
Parent, Cathedral Member

Kristen Dennis
4th Grade Teacher

Scott Deupree
Past Parent, Past Warden of St. Mark's Cathedral

Valerie Gamble
Trustee, Past Parents' Club Parent, Parent

Aimee Greene
Kindergarten Teacher, Past Parent

Sanders Hearne
Trustee, Past Parent, Cathedral Member

Anne Jenkins
Past Trustee, Parent

Emily Vigen
8th Grade English Teacher, Parent, Alumna, Cathedral Member

Cheryl Vines
Enrichment Teacher, Past Parent

Paige Wilbur
Parents' Club President, Parent, Alumna