Dalton Leadership Transition Update

Dear Dalton Community, 

 

We are ready to launch the search for our next Head of School. I am writing to share the details of how we will do so, as well as the ways in which we will seek your input to ensure that our process is inclusive and participative.

 

First, our Board of Trustees has voted to establish a Search Committee under the leadership of Roy Swan. A current parent and former Trustee, Roy served on our Board for 12 years as Secretary, Treasurer, and Vice President. In addition to his membership on the Finance and Investment Committees, he chaired the Audit Committee and participated in two strategic planning committees, an evaluation of our financial aid program, and a study to identify strategies to maximize tuition affordability. Roy has always been a strong and principled voice for inclusivity and is a much beloved and widely respected member of our community. We are grateful to Roy for agreeing to lead the search. As selecting the Head of School is one of the Board's primary duties, our Search Committee will be predominantly comprised of current and former Trustees:

Second, because community input is critical to the success of the search, we are establishing an Advisory Council comprised predominantly of volunteer leaders among our parents, faculty, and alumni but with representation from the administration as well. Joanna Stone Herman '88, a Dalton alumna and President of our Alumni Council has agreed to chair this Council. Joanna is a current Trustee and a member of the Board’s DEI sub-committee. 

 

The Advisory Council will help us solicit guidance from our community on what our priorities should be and on the attributes and experiences we should seek in our next leader. The composition of our Advisory Council is designed to make this group accessible to all parts of our community:

Third, we will soon be surveying our community to collect all of our input systematically. Please do respond to the survey when you receive it. The Advisory Council will share the data we collect with the Dalton community and discuss the findings with all of us to more fully articulate our collective aspirations and priorities.

 

Fourth, we will launch a dedicated page on the Dalton website with details about the members of the Search Committee, the Advisory Council, and updates on the search process as well as answers to frequently asked questions. We will let you know once the page is live in an upcoming Sunday Blast.

 

Finally, please find a link to the FAQs here. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reach out to the Search Committee at DaltonSearch@googlegroups.com. If you would like to recommend candidates for consideration, please email our search firm, Spencer Stuart at DaltonHead@spencerstuart.com.

 

Thank you in advance for your support and participation in this important work. And, thank you as always, for all that you do for Dalton and our children.

 

Warmest regards,

 

Aly