Head of School Search Update 8/31/20

A letter from Raúl Pérez, President of the Board of Trustees:

August 31, 2020

Dear Mustard Seed School Community,

I want to provide an update regarding the search process for the next Head of School at Mustard Seed School. I also want to share upcoming opportunities where you will be able to participate in the search process. This is an important time in the life of our school.

We have assembled a Search Committee to lead us in this endeavor. Our Head of School Search and Transition Committee (HSTC) is comprised of a diverse group of trustees, parents, and members of both the administration and faculty. It is my pleasure to announce the members of our committee:

Head of School Search and Transition Committee

• Cara Hilton, Co-Chair (Trustee, P ’23, ‘26)
• Raul Perez, Co-Chair (Board President, P ’16, ’19)
• Kelesha Armand (Trustee, P ’24)
• Kristen Jordan (Faculty)
• Dee Mingey (Former MSS Faculty and Former Trustee)
• Sebastian Olukun (MSS Business Administrator, P ’14)
• Mark Quiles (Trustee)
• Jessica Smith (Faculty, Worship Coordinator)

I am thankful for this team and for their willingness to serve in this important work. I am grateful for their breadth of experience and expertise. They have already been hard at work devoting both their time and energy to this venture. This committee serves on behalf of the Board to ensure the hiring process is sound. Ultimately, the Board is tasked with hiring the next Head of School.

I am excited to announce that the Committee, in conjunction with the Board, has engaged the services of a professional search consultancy to guide us in our search process. After interviewing several firms, we retained Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CSA) to assist us in the search. This firm is nationally recognized as a leader in recruiting Heads and other senior administrators at independent schools. We will be represented by Senior Consultant, Bob Vitalo and Consultant, Burke Zalosh. I am confident that with their guidance, we will lead a search process with integrity and intentionality, hallmarks of our school.

We invite you to join us and to collaborate with CSA. In the coming weeks there will be several ways that you can directly participate. On September 16th & 17th our consultants will visit our school to “get to know us.” Their goal is to familiarize themselves with our community: what makes us special, what challenges us, what characteristics should the ideal Head of School possess. As our community continues to work through the restrictions arising from the current pandemic, these workshops will take place in a virtual platform. The goal will remain the same; to listen to the many voices at Mustard Seed School.

In addition to meeting with students, faculty, and staff, Bob and Burke will hold open parent forums. You will also be invited to complete an anonymous electronic survey to elicit your feedback. We encourage you to share your thinking with us. This will better help them understand “who we are” and aid us in identifying outstanding candidates. All of the feedback will be compiled, analyzed, and reported back to the Search Committee. We anticipate announcing our next Head of School in early to mid-winter.

It is my goal to ensure that the search process be inclusive and transparent so that all members of our community are heard, respected, and informed. Please check our website (https://mustardseedschool.org/parents/head-search/) for updates where we will have a page dedicated to the search. All relevant communications will be posted there in addition to being sent directly to you via email. You may also directly reach us anytime at [email protected].

On behalf of the Search Committee, we are excited and energized to fulfill this important initiative! We trust you share our enthusiasm and will continue to support our work finding our next Head of School. We hope you will participate in the survey and attend one of the forums in September. In the interim, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Raúl Pérez

President, Board of Trustees