Ashley Taylor Appointed Next Dean of Students
Ashley Taylor visited campus on April 9 to meet faculty. Photo Courtesy of Exeter Communications
By WILLIAM INOUE, ADELLE PITTS, and JADE YOO
On March 12, Principal Bill Rawson announced that Ashley Taylor will be succeeding Russell Weatherspoon as the Dean of Students upon his retirement in July. While many are saddened by the departure of Weatherspoon, who has been an integral part of the Exeter community for nearly 40 years, Taylor’s appointment marks an exciting new beginning.
Taylor has served as the Dean of Students at Episcopal High School, a small independent boarding school in Virginia, for the past nine years. She joined the school in 2010 and has since held an impressive record as “a teacher, coach, dorm head, student adviser, member of the senior leadership team, member of the student life and student health review committees, and chair of strategic planning and scheduling committees and a diversity task force, among other responsibilities,” according to Rawson. Prior to her time at Episcopal High School, Taylor was a biology instructor and held numerous positions at the Pingry School in New Jersey and St. Mark’s School in Massachusetts. She earned her undergraduate degree from Brown University and a Master of Liberal Arts with extension studies in Biology from Harvard University.
Assistant Principal Karen Lassey, who was also the chair of the position’s search committee, explained the process of choosing the new Dean of Students. She shared that the process began with working with a search firm that helped recruit and sort through candidate materials. Then, the search committee chose multiple candidates for an initial interview with the search firm. The next stage involved interviews with the search committee.
After meeting candidates over video call, the committee decided the three finalists, who then visited campus. The search committee arranged their schedules to be in Exeter for two days and two nights, during which time they met with various administrators and faculty, as well as students over lunch. “These students were the Student Council’s Executive Board, the class representatives, the members of the CCC (Community Conduct Committee), as well as the nominated members that students had voted for,” explained Lassey.
The search committee gathered input from all who met the candidates, which was provided to Rawson when he chose the new Dean of Students from the three final candidates.
According to Rawson, Taylor “stood out for her ability to inspire students and build meaningful collaborative relationships across the community, and for her commitment to challenging and supporting all students in an environment where they are deeply known and encouraged to develop character, self-awareness, resilience, and a sense of purpose.”
Dean of Residential Life Carol Cahalane also offered why she believed that Taylor was the best candidate for the position as an already experienced dean of students. “I was impressed with her experience; she’s really worked in all parts of schooling,” Cahalane said. “She’s been a dean of students at her current school for several years, so she knows the different kinds of work that needs to be done. A lot of work that happens in these spaces are behind the scenes—not because we’re trying to hide it, but we’re trying to deal with student concerns in a private and efficient way. I think that she will likely understand that process and what goes into thorough and careful decision making that centers on student needs.”
“She’ll have some things to learn about Exeter,” Cahalane added, “but I think her curiosity and interpersonal skills will make that pretty easy.”
Taylor herself expressed her excitement to join the Academy’s community in the coming months. “I hope to learn as much as I can from students and adults alike,” she told The Exonian. “I am so excited to get to know what Exeter is all about. In the few days I spent on campus, the pride that students and faculty feel for everything that makes PEA special was so evident. I’m just thrilled to be a part of the community and to dive right in.”
Currently, Taylor hopes to focus on settling into the community before planning specific ideas for the school. “I don’t have any specific plans as I’ve only just begun to get to know the school and community,” she shared. “Ultimately, my job will be to ensure that Exeter students have the very best experience we can provide - an experience that is healthy and challenging and joyful and rigorous and balanced.”
Lassey appreciated this thoughtful approach with which Taylor is approaching her new role. “I think what I want is to hear her ideas,” she said. “She’ll need some time to adjust and to understand who we are; that’s very important to her… to not come in and say, ‘Oh, we’re going to change things right away,’ but really to do a lot of listening and understanding of Exeter culture, what’s important to us, our mission, and our values, and to really live those for a while.”
Cahalane holds high hopes for Taylor’s future in the Dean’s office. “This will give us a new opportunity to hear and learn together with Ms. Taylor about the challenges that we’re likely going to face,” she said. “Every year brings something new and different, and we’ll have the benefit of her wisdom and experience, as well as that of the people who are here.” According to Cahalane, there are a few long-term goals that the Deans hope to implement to build support for students, including a new student information system and the expanded use of Orah.
“I think [a new Dean of Students] will allow adults to make more informed policies for dorm activities or student activities, since they have more perspective,” said senior Emilie Carranza. “Having a new person can potentially identify flaws and areas of improvement as Dean of Students.”
“She has some perspective that will be really helpful,” echoed Lassey. “I think we have an ongoing interest and commitment in thinking about the wellbeing of our students holistically, which includes continuing to be academically excellent and also to have students who are able to pursue their passions and not exhaust themselves or get sick. That’s really important to our school, and I know that she carries the same value.”
“I am excited for the school to settle in with a new leader in this role,” said Cahalane, “and I think we are at a position in the school where we have learned from COVID and the things that we’ve applied have continued. I think we have the capacity now to build further.”
Amidst excitement about Taylor’s appointment is reflection and reminiscence on Weatherspoon’s impactful time at Exeter as a beloved teacher, mentor, friend, and leader. He will be dearly missed as he takes his leave from the Academy in July. “He brings his great personality to the role of Dean of Students,” said Instructor in Spanish Humberto Delgado. “He has been a charismatic dean, and he created a good philosophy among the students. So we’re going to miss someone who had not only leadership but also a philosophical approach.”
Lassey agreed. “It’s hard to imagine this place without Dean Weatherspoon. He’s been such a mentor to me as a very young teacher who came in in 1996. He’s always had wonderful and wise advice and he’s such a presence on campus. We’re going to miss him.”
“Dean Weatherspoon is somebody who has had a great impact on the Academy for many years and in many different spaces,” continued Cahalane. “His personal presence will be missed. I’ve been teasing him about maybe he shouldn’t leave, and he should just be our person who hangs out in the various spaces. But I think he is looking forward to a well-deserved retirement, and he’s been so generous in staying on longer than he anticipated in this role, so I’m happy for him. I think he deserves the break.”
Certainly, Weatherspoon’s legacy will be a hard one to fill, but the administration is confident that Taylor is the right person to do so. When asked what she would like Exonians to know about her, Taylor answered: “Most importantly, I am excited! I can’t wait to meet everyone, especially the students. I have a real passion for helping students thrive - I want you all to feel challenged and supported, and to feel known and valued. I want you to accomplish big things and to find joy in chasing those big dreams.”
Taylor is highly qualified as the new Dean of Students due to her extensive experience at previous schools, how well she fit into the Exeter community upon her visit, and her perspective which aligns with Academy’s values of academic excellence, knowledge and goodness, and non sibi. Students and faculty alike look forward to her arrival on campus this week and to welcome Taylor, her husband John, and their two children, Sophie and Will, to the Exeter community this summer.
