Academy Searches For Five New Administrators
The Academy is currently looking to hire new administrators to replace Dean of Faculty Ethan Shapiro and Assistant Principal Ronald Kim, and to fill the newly created positions of Director of Student Well-Being, Director of Community, Equity and Diversity and Director of Human Resources.
The search for a new Dean of Faculty will be conducted by current faculty through an internal search process, with Chair of History Department Bill Jordan heading the committee.
Currently, there are seven candidates applying for the job with a committee of five interviewing and reporting to Principal Lisa MacFarlane. The search began when MacFarlane sent out an email in December to the faculty asking for nominations. Of the nominees, seven agreed to be considered for the job, submitting a letter of interest and a resume.
After thorough interviews with the candidates, the committee provided feedback to MacFarlane, who will have the final say in the selection. According to MacFarlane, the committee not only looks at the candidate’s administrative experience, but also “their vision for the job, what kind of leadership style they have and their values and ability to work with other people.”
Additionally, the search calls for someone who is “well organized, [has] good people skills and deals with conflict in a way that tends to defuse rather than exacerbate.”
There is no date set for the announcement of the hirings. The committee will be meeting with Principal MacFarlane in the near future to give her notes and reports on each candidate before she makes her final.
Searches for other positions will involve both an external and an internal process. In fact, the search for a Director of Community, Equity and Diversity will be nationwide.
The new position was first approved by the Trustees in May of 2016 at the Academy and was included in the 2017 budget. After drafting and finalizing a job description, the committee will then lead a national search for qualified applicants, where the top five to eight applicants will be invited to the campus for interviews.
The next set of finalists will return to campus and undergo an even more intensive interview process to ensure that their character and experience suits the job.
“It is beneficial to have someone who is fully devoted to these principles on our campus. We of course need to think broadly about how to include people from all walks of life and who are sometimes very different from ourselves.”
Chief Financial Officer David Hanson expressed strong support for the search for the Director of Community, Equity and Diversity, noting that it is part of the “school’s mission to combine goodness and knowledge.”
He went on, saying, “It is beneficial to have someone who is fully devoted to these principles on our campus. We of course need to think broadly about how to include people from all walks of life and who are sometimes very different from ourselves."
While the ongoing searches are in the purview of MacFarlane, the trustees have also worked diligently alongside MacFarlane and the faculty to develop priorities for the school, which will culminate in a strategic plan in 2017.
“I believe we have a consensus that Exeter needs to do more to make sure that we are truly a welcoming community, that we promote equity across campus and that we do a better job recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and staff,” President of the Trustees Eunice Panetta said. “These are meaningful and vital challenges and the trustees believe Principal MacFarlane is right to be looking for a strong leader to help us all make this change together.”
According to Jordan, diversity is a crucial component to keep in mind during the hiring process. “The other thing that we considered a lot was diversity and inclusion,” he said. “What kind of record does the person have of trying to address issues of diversity and inclusion and what vision do they have for our school and our faculty becoming better in those areas.”
The searches are expected to conclude within the next few weeks to three months, with all the new hirees coming to Exeter no later than the fall. MacFarlane explained that the school is looking for people who are sensible, cooperative and dedicated to both their job and the community.
“In all cases, we are looking for people of wisdom and judgment, who love and have an genuine appreciation for what we do at a residential school, and who will collaborate in building a community that is inclusive, equitable, diverse and committed to educational excellence,” she said.