Dear Friends,
Below is a brief update on the SSFS Head of School search. Things are moving!
During a "listening tour" on campus in late April, Sherry Coleman and her team from Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates (SPA) met with many of you in gathering multiple perspectives on what we see as desired qualities in our next Head, as well as on the challenges and opportunities that school leadership will be facing. Following the launch of an online survey in May, we received nearly 300 responses from the SSFS community, including many written replies to our questionnaire. Thanks to all for participating. With the help of your feedback, we have developed the Head of School Prospectus. This job profile is being shared with prospective candidates and, encouragingly, interest in the position has been strong.
We also received tremendous interest in our Search Advisory Group, with nearly 40 members signing up—including alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students, trustees, and members of Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting. The group, with its diverse set of constituencies, will be providing key support and advice to the search committee throughout the process. The group also had the opportunity to meet with Sherry and her colleague Lisa Solinsky on June 5th at SSFS to further discuss the Head search. You can find the advisory group's membership and other information about the search process on our Head of School Search webpage.
What's next? Over the next few months, the search committee will be working closely with SPA to build the candidate pool, and then the committee will begin selecting highly-qualified individuals for interviews. This includes initial and second-round interviews with candidates held off-site to respect their confidentiality, before we narrow down to a set of finalists that will be invited onto campus in the fall. During this open phase, finalists will be meeting with the search advisory group and other members of our community, as well as the search committee, before it makes a hiring recommendation to the Board of Trustees.
It's shaping up to be a busy and productive summer!
Best,
Hamid Faruqee
Clerk, Search Committee
Assistant Clerk, Sandy Spring Friends School Board of Trustees