On June 8, 2021, Roycemore Board of Trustees Chair Kathleen Scheidt and Head of School Adrianne Finley Odell announced that the 2021-22 school year will be Finley Odell’s last at the school.
In a letter to the Roycemore community, Finley Odell, who has served as Roycemore’s Head of School since 2017, stated, “I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together and am excited to work with the community to continue to advance our program and campus in the year ahead. I am certain the next Head of School will inherit a future-focused and energized academic community that is poised to continue the growth trajectory in which the school finds itself coming out of the pandemic.”
Scheidt’s letter to the Roycemore community stated: “When I reflect on everything that the Roycemore community has achieved in recent years with Adrianne’s guidance – even, and particularly, during the challenging 2020 and 2021 pandemic months – I marvel at what we have done together and am incredibly grateful for the contributions of so many.”
A Head Search Committee, led by Anthony Chambers, Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, has been formed to lead the search that will culminate in a recommendation to the Board who will ultimately vote to approve Roycemore’s next Head of School. They will be assisted by an experienced search consulting firm, Educational Directions. The Committee and the Board are committed to obtaining community input and communicating as much information as possible while conducting a highly confidential search process. Any questions may be submitted to headsearch@roycemoreschool.org. NOTE: If you are a candidate who wishes to apply for this opportunity, please send your materials to Dr. John Watson and Mr. Mike Murphy as indicated in the prospectus.
This page will be updated as the search progresses. Please check back regularly throughout the next few months.
Summer 2021 – Community Survey & Review Period
August 2021 – Constituent Sessions with Consultant
November 2021 – Deadline for Candidate Applications
November/December 2021 – Review and Evaluation of Candidates
January/February 2022 – Finalist Visits to Roycemore School
February 2022 – Selection and Board of Trustees Approval of New Head of School
Dates may change due to scheduling issues. Please watch this space.
Community input is critical to defining the leadership qualities and characteristics desired in our new Head of School. We will be conducting surveys with the Board, faculty and staff and parents of Roycemore students to gather their input.
There will be additional opportunities for community involvement via focus groups when the consultants visit campus in August and when the finalists visit Roycemore. More information will be sent as we plan for the visits.
Our goal is to conduct this search in a manner that is as inclusive and transparent as possible. If you have any concerns or questions about the process, please contact the Search Committee chair, Anthony Chambers, at headsearch@roycemoreschool.org. Please read communications regarding the search and check this web page periodically for updates.
Educational Directions (www.edu-directions.com) is a nationally recognized consulting firm for independent schools and is an acknowledged leader in assisting schools with their searches for heads of school and senior administrators. For over 30 years, Educational Directions has led innovation in executive search practice, studied the changing expectations for school heads, researched the leadership attributes of successful school heads, and created a worldwide network of sources for exceptional candidates. You can find out more about our consultants, Mike Murphy and John Watson, by following this link.
The Search Committee will be approving a leadership profile based on input from the Roycemore community obtained through a survey and constituent sessions with consultants from Educational Directions. The Committee will review candidate files, interview the most promising candidates, and identify three or four finalists who will visit Roycemore. Considering input from members of the Roycemore community who meet with the finalists, as well as conducting reference and background checks, the Search Committee will recommend one candidate to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is responsible for appointing the new Head of School.
The Board is responsible for reviewing the Search Committee’s recommendation for the next Head of School and appointing the Head of School. The Board will formally vote to extend an offer to the selected candidate. Following acceptance of the offer, the Board will announce the new Head of School.
The Board of Trustees includes:
Chair: Kathleen Scheidt
Vice-Chair: Anthony Chambers
Secretary: Holly Crilly
Treasurer: Kevin Foote
Michael Adams
Tim Costello
Victoria Priddy Fromm
Terry Gdoutos ‘05
Lori Hurley
Nicole Woodard Iliev
Scott Kinsloe ‘72
Mark Lowry
Aleksandra Egelja-Maruszewski
Bessie Mbadugha
Deborah Pergament ‘87
Linda Reed ‘65
Mairead Reidy
Candace Risen
Anita Shah
Monica Chen (Kellogg Board Fellow)
If you have questions or recommendations for our Head of School search, we would love to hear from you! NOTE: Candidates who wish to apply should not use this form to submit materials or ask questions. Please follow the directions in the prospectus and email the search consultants.
Anthony Chambers, Chair
Board Vice-Chair, 3rd Grade Parent
Darcy Aksamitowski
Lower School Head
Tim Costello
Trustee, Head of School – Science & Arts Academy
Adrienne Floro
Assistant Head of School for Academics & Middle School Head
Kevin Foote
Trustee, 12th grade parent
Terry Gdoutos
Trustee, Alumnus ‘05
Ruth Hecht
Middle and Upper School Art Teacher
Deborah Pergament
Trustee, Alumna ‘87
Stefanie Rivera
Upper School Head, 5th & 8th grade parent
Kathleen Scheidt
Board Chair, 9th Grade Parent
Bellamy Taylor-Pines
3rd Grade Teacher, Alumna