Dear Academy of the Sacred Heart Community,
I am writing with an update on the search for our next Head of School with particular attention to the following:
- A recap of our Head of School search professionals’ visit to St. Charles
- The recently released Position Profile and overview of the search timeline
- An introduction to the Advisory Council
Search Consultant Visit
As you are aware, our Head of School search professionals from Educational Directions, Mathew Heersche and Risa Oganesoff Heersche, were on campus September 30 and October 1 to learn about the Academy community, our culture, the opportunities for the next Head of School, and the qualities sought in this individual. Mathew and Risa appreciated the very warm welcome they received from our community, experiencing and enjoying the real sense of family at the Academy. They also saw the strong commitment we have to providing the best for our students, all guided by our mission and the Goals and Criteria.
If you did not have the chance to meet with them or would like to share additional thoughts, there is still an opportunity to complete our online Head Search survey. The survey is available by clicking here and will remain open until Friday, November 5.
Position Profile and Search Timeline
Mathew and Risa, using the information gathered during their visit as well as the survey, have developed a Position Profile that articulates the special qualities of the Academy of the Sacred Heart community, the areas of focus for the next Head of School as well as the qualities sought. This document has been shared with and approved by the Search Committee and is accessible from the Head of School webpage or the button below.
Head of School Position Profile
The Position Profile will be used as part of the recruitment efforts. Over the course of the next few months, Mathew and Risa will reach out to Catholic educational leaders and programs, executive directors of educational organizations and regional school associations to notify them of this wonderful opportunity. They will be identifying and evaluating top prospects and presenting the most appropriate candidates to the Search Committee for our review. From this group, the Search Committee will identify the top-level candidates whom the committee will interview. Finalists will be selected after these interviews. There will be opportunities for school community members to meet the finalists early in the new year.
Our calendar calls for identification and engagement of the next Head of School of the Academy to be completed no later than March 2022. There will be an organized transition process culminating with the new Head commencing work July 2022.
Advisory Council
Lastly, we want to update you on the formation of the Advisory Council. As a reminder, the Advisory Council is a group of individuals that represents the Academy’s key constituents (e.g., members of the Academy’s faculty/staff, parents and alumni) and will help ensure that the Search Committee hears feedback from all of those constituents. The Advisory Council met and provided feedback to the search consultants earlier this month and includes the following members:
Michael Weeks ’91, Chair
Current Parent, Trustee
Diane Carroll Boerding ’76
Parent of Alumni
Dana Burns
Current Parent
Sara Schulte Dee ’86
Current Parent, Parent of Alumni
Charla Niccoli Dziedzic ’75
Parent of Alumni
Jennifer Weiersmueller (Ruffino) Jones ’89
Parent of Alumni
Bob Lampen
Middle School Faculty member
Beth Klaric Metcalf ’72 (12th)
Former Faculty member, Parent of Alumni
Brittany Tyree Ransom ’05
Lower School Faculty member
Alexandra Sanchez ’06
Associates of the Sacred Heart member
Melissa King Setser ’93
Current Parent
Julie Tierney Vetter ’85
Alumni Coordinating Council President
We look forward to the search process and will continue to keep our school community informed as to its progress.
For the Search Committee,
Mark Roden
Chair, Head of School Search Committee
Laura Mullen Haroian ’76
Lyn Osiek RSCJ, ’58
Desiree Peri Klakovich
Nat Wilburn
