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 will provide opportunities for community input through in-person and electronic means. The first opportunities will occur when the search consultants from Educators’ Collaborative conduct listening sessions to learn more about the School’s strengths, as well as the opportunities facing the school now and in the years ahead. There will be sessions for employees, alumni, the parent association, and students during this time. Additionally, all members of the school community will be invited to share their thoughts about the School and the search through a confidential online survey administered by Educators’ Collaborative consultants. 

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

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

It is perhaps best to consider the search process in three general phases, with which there is some overlap. 

The primary purpose of the initial phase is for the Educators’ Collaborative consultants to “get the word out” about the search to prospective candidates and to learn more about the School. This will be done through the aforementioned listening sessions and online survey. In addition, the Educators’ Collaborative consultants will familiarize themselves with school operations, programs, and policies through numerous documents provided by the School.

The next phase is conducted almost exclusively behind the scenes, 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 are asked to contact the search consultants so that timely vetting can take place. 

In the third phase, the Search Committee is highly active in learning more about candidates, conducting preliminary confidential interviews, selecting the finalists, and assuring that their visits to the School are successful. The work of the Search Committee concludes when it presents its nomination of the candidate of choice to the Board of Trustees. 

What is the role of the Search Committee? 

The Head of School Search Committee is leading the search process and will make recommendations to the Board of Trustees, which ultimately bears responsibility for appointing the Head of School. 

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

A Steering Committee 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 for independent schools like ours. André Withers has been engaged to assist with the search. The search consultant will provide guidance to the Search Committee on format, logistics, procedures, and best practices in the search process. In addition, they will 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 they have been hired. 

What is the scope of the search? 

The search for the new Head of School is broad in scope. A primary goal is to make the search process as transparent as possible, with opportunities for community updates and feedback along the way. Confidentiality about individual candidates, however, remains a critical component for success. Some potential candidates may not be actively looking for a new position, and others may not want it known at their current institution that they are pursuing an interest in Harbor. As such, the Search Committee will not comment on candidates participating (or not participating) in the search. 

Will there be any internal candidates? 

The Search Committee encourages the application of all individuals who have a genuine interest in leading the School, including anyone who is currently employed at the School. To every extent possible, the Search Committee will attempt to create a level playing field, ensuring that the eventual nominee as Head of School-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 evaluated based on how well their skills and characteristics match those desired by the school community. Those skills and characteristics will be identified drawing on the survey responses and constituent interviews conducted by Educators’ Collaborative consultants. The Search Committee will go through multiple steps to acquaint themselves with the pool of candidates before narrowing that group down to a small group of finalists (likely three or four). 

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

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 Harbor’s Head of School on July 1, 2026. Until that time, Leah will continue to lead the School, a role in which she has served exceptionally well. We anticipate that there will be opportunities during the 2025-2026 school year when the Head of School-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. 

Will the search cause any disruptions for students and Faculty/Staff? 

No. All related information sessions, listening sessions, and interviews will be built around faculty, staff, and student schedules, so as not to disrupt the academic calendar and schedule.