Announcing the Head of School Search Committee and Firm

Amy remains fully engaged and committed to leading our school for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year, which promises to be a great one for students, families, and colleagues alike. While a change in headship is a momentous occasion for any school, we are confident that there will be no interruptions in the important work of serving our wonderful students.

 

We are pleased to let you know that we are moving forward quickly to find the next head of school of Woodlynde School and to ensure a smooth transition.

 

In that regard, we have formed a search committee that spans school constituencies. This committee has been tasked with identifying and interviewing candidates and—ultimately—recommending one to the Board of Trustees for appointment as our next head. This process is identical to the one used during our last head of school search.

 

We are grateful that the following individuals have agreed to serve on the Search Committee:

 

Elizabeth Maglio, Search Committee Chair

 

Brian Hickey P ’28

 

 

John Park P ‘21

 

 

Eileen Salimbene P ’32

 

Melissa Trala P ’27

We reached out to four leading search firms specializing in independent schools such as ours. After thoughtful consideration of their proposals, we selected Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A) to partner with us on the search. They are not only widely considered to be the nation’s leading independent school search firm, but also partnered with Woodlynde School during our most recent successful search.

 

Two CS&A Search Consultants will work closely with the Search Committee: Brandon Jacobs and Skip Kotkins. Brandon lives in West Chester, worked at Shipley School and The Hill School, and has worked with many other schools in southeastern Pennsylvania since joining CS&A. Brandon also is the leader of CS&A’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Practice Group. Skip worked with us on Woodlynde’s last head search and has developed an area of specialization working with schools serving neurodiverse populations. In addition to working on searches, Skip assists schools with strategic plans and often engages in governance presentations for regional school associations including our home association, The Association for Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS).

 

The first step in the search process is the development of the position description. Brandon and Skip will be at Woodlynde on Monday, November 6, 2023 and Tuesday, November 7, 2023 to meet with members of our community and to hear your thoughts about the future of our school and the kind of leader you think we need to take us to that future. We will soon advise you of the times and places where you can meet with CS&A on those days. For those unable to make it to one of the in-person forums, there is an online survey that asks the same questions that will be asked in person. You can access that survey at woodlynde.ws/searchsurvey now through Wednesday, November 8, 2023.

 

In addition to having a Search Committee pulled from across Woodlynde's constituencies and seeking community input at the outset of the search, community members will be invited to meet with finalist candidates and share impressions with the Search Committee prior to their deliberations. Thank you in advance for your participation in this important search process.

 

The time will come later in the school year to celebrate Amy Clemons for her tireless leadership of Woodlynde School. We wish her well and are grateful that she continues to be fully engaged in leading Woodlynde. At the same time, we are excited to embark on the head of school search process because of the incredible opportunity it represents for us as a community to—together—imagine our bright future and find a new leader to shape the Woodlynde of tomorrow.

 

With gratitude,

Sarah Houston P ’25

Chair, Board of Trustees, Woodlynde School