Leahy Named New Director Of Admissions
After a long search process, Bill Leahy was selected to replace the departing Michael Gary as the new director of admissions at Phillips Exeter. Principal MacFarlane announced the decision in an email to the faculty on Monday.
Assistant Principal Ronald Kim, who led the search for a new director of admissions, explained that the search committee included trustee Mark Edwards, Assistant Director of College Counseling Gretchen Bergill, Dean of Multicultural Affairs Rosanna Salcedo, Dean of Residential Life AJ Cosgrove, science instructor Scott Saltman, Director of Athletics Shane LaPointe, Chair of the Classics Department Nick Unger, admissions officer Porter Hayes and administrative assistant Julie Hayes. The committee worked in association with the search firm Storbeck Pimentel to conduct a national search for the director of admissions position.
“We are fortunate to have someone with Bill’s depth of experience and his obvious passion for the independent school experience joining our community.”
According to Kim, Leahy immediately stood out among the other applicants. “The search committee was impressed by Mr. Leahy’s experience, energy and ability to connect with people,” Kim said. “The committee was also excited to hear about his belief in the power of Exeter to change lives and his commitment to our mission of attracting youth from every quarter.”
Leahy’s resumé in itself demonstrated a striking array of accomplishments in the independent school world. He comes to the Academy with 26 years of admissions work at independent schools under his belt, and currently acts as global director of enrollment management at Avenues: The World School in New York City. In the past, Leahy served as dean of admission and financial aid at The Hotchkiss School; director of financial assistance and senior associate dean of admission at St. Paul’s School; and associate dean of admission at Andover. He then served seven years as director of admissions at Phillips Academy Andover. While there, he oversaw daily operations as well as all global admissions outreach efforts and managed a complex network of more than 800 alumni admissions representatives. During his time at Andover, Leahy simultaneously acted as president of the Gateway to Prep Schools online application system, which has since become the standard mechanism for applying to independent schools such as Exeter. “It’s fair to say that he is a leading expert in enrollment management,” MacFarlane said of Leahy in her announcement email. “And his impressive list of speaking engagements and association memberships further demonstrates this.”
According to Kim, Leahy will begin his work at the end of May this year. This will allow a smooth transition and beneficial period of overlap during which Gary will help acclimate Leahy to the position. Hayes explained that this time will provide Gary and Leahy time to discuss Exeter’s specific admission process. “Having spent significant time at Andover, Mr. Leahy has some insight into our process,” Hayes said. “But Mr. Gary will be able to describe some of the challenges we face now and those challenges that we could potentially face in the future.”
Gary expressed confidence in Leahy’s future success at Exeter, not just because of his qualifications, but because of the strength of Exeter’s admissions office. “I leave him [Leahy] with an awesome, dedicated professional staff,” Gary said.
In July, Gary, who has worked as Director of Admissions at Exeter for fourteen years, will enter his role as the new headmaster at Friends Select School, a college-prep day school in Philadelphia. Despite his excitement for this new job, Gary leaves behind a beloved community. He hoped that Leahy will come to appreciate the people at Exeter as much as he has himself. “My advice would be to fall in love with the community like I did,” Gary said.
Kim expressed gratitude for Gary’s significant contributions to the school. “We are grateful for the 14 years that Mr. Gary has led our admissions office and thankful for all of the students and families that he has advised and comforted during that time,” he said.
Porter Hayes, another member of the admissions team, said that although Gary will be sorely missed, he looks forward to working alongside Leahy and benefiting from his wealth of experience. “Our office was impressed with his energy and enthusiasm not only for admissions,” Hayes said, “but also to his commitment to attracting and serving youth from every quarter.”
MacFarlane echoed this sentiment in her announcement email, and was confident in Leahy’s suitability for the job.
“We are fortunate to have someone with Bill’s depth of experience and his obvious passion for the independent school experience joining our community,” she said. “I am confident that he will be a tremendous colleague to work with as we look toward Exeter’s future.”