Advancement Director To Depart from Exeter
Edward “Ted” Probert, the director of the Department of Institutional Advancement, will leave Exeter at the end of the 2014-2015 academic year in order to become the director of advancement at the Westminster School, his alma mater.
After working at the Lawrenceville School for seven years and serving as the director of development at Kent School, Probert came to Exeter in 2002 to lead Exeter Initiatives, a $305 million fundraising campaign. In 2011, when Jim Theisen, former director of Institutional Advancement, retired after 35 years, Probert assumed Theisen’s position.
As the director, Probert worked closely with the principal and trustees, oversaw his staff in Institutional Advancement and contributed immensely to the development of Exeter. Under his leadership for the Exeter Initiatives capital campaign, the Department of Advancement exceeded its goal of $305 million by almost $50 million, making it the largest fundraising effort in American secondary school history. Following Exeter Initiatives, Probert has organized additional fundraising projects and is currently working on the plan for the new performing arts center.
Dean of Faculty Ronald Kim commented on Probert’s work and its effects on the Academy. “It’s fair to say that this school would not be the same if not for Mr. Probert’s efforts.”
After watching his daughter go through four years at Exeter and graduate in 2012, Probert realized the extent of the opportunities Exeter provides for students.
“I’ve always had a tremendous amount of respect for Exeter and the academic opportunities for students here. [Seeing my daughter go through Exeter] gave me a deeper appreciation for how special the experience is for the students and how great this community is in many ways,” Probert said.
Although Probert expected to be at Exeter much longer, when he was approached by the headmaster of his alma mater, the Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, he realized how important it was to go back and make a difference. His father was a trustee at Westminster, and Probert and his siblings all spent years at the school. His strong ties with Westminster influenced his decision to take a position there.
“It’s fair to say that this school would not be the same if not for Mr. Probert’s efforts.”
“It was an opportunity to go back and to have an impact at a school that helped change my life,” Probert said. With a total of 23 years of experience, Probert can significantly affect Westminster. “The reality is that Westminster doesn’t have the resources that Exeter has; it’s a much smaller endowment, and it’s an opportunity to make a good school better.”
Principal Hassan said that although Probert will be missed, he respects Probert’s decision to leave Exeter and support his alma mater.
“While I have greatly enjoyed his partnership, and this school has certainly benefited from his skill and experience, I understand the choice and, of course, wish him all the very, very best,” Principal Hassan said.
Hassan will meet with the current Institutional Advancement department heads to determine an interim plan for the period after Probert departs in June and before the new director has been selected. Because of how closely the principal and the director of advancement work with each other, the national search and selection of Exeter’s new director of advancement will not begin until the Academy’s new principal has been chosen.
With both Probert and Hassan leaving after the end of this year, there will be a new generation of leaders on campus. Probert is confident that even though they are departing, Exeter will continue to succeed. He felt that once there is clarity towards the direction and vision that the new leaders provide, Exeter’s established relationships as an institution will continue to send the school forward. Through strong partnerships with the new director of advancement, the new principal, a relatively new CFO and members of the principal staff team, “Exeter is poised at a place of great strength to take off,” Probert said. He also stressed the importance of the alumni and trustees: “We are blessed to have an alumni that are extraordinarily loyal and have tremendous pride in this institution.”
Probert added, “Jim Theisen, my predecessor, said to me when I had to go to Iraq for a year, ‘the institution is much larger than any one individual,’ and it is going to continue to succeed and do very well. That’s just the nature of this place.”
Kim also found that, although an important group of Exeter officials are departing, their contributions to Exeter provide a steady base for new leaders.
“Each of them have made Exeter a stronger school and leave with their operations in great shape. The next leaders will be able to get off to a great start,” Kim said.
Kim is confident that although it may be different, the future of Exeter looks bright. “I know that our efforts will be focused and ambitious, and I’m always optimistic about the future of this school,” he said.
Many students and faculty agreed that there will be continued success at Exeter and are confident that the chosen leaders will be competent.
“Exeter is such a great school, and I’m sure that they have a great selection process to find excellent replacements for our existing members,” lower Marvin Bennett said.
Senior Andrew Turner echoed Bennett’s sentiments and said that with new members of the Administration, the Academy will acquire new perspectives on its direction, which would further advance the quality of the institution.
“[New administrators] will most likely bring their own thoughts, opinions and ideas. Essentially, a different personality and style in advancing the institute,” Turner said.
History instructor Aykut Kilinc said that these changes are natural and added that he hopes these new changes will be beneficial for Exeter. “I think change is inevitable; change is natural. I just hope that it will be change for the better.”