Dear Castilleja Community,
On behalf of the Head of School Search Committee, we want to wish everyone in the Castilleja community a very happy new year. There is exciting work ahead in 2024! Already, we have been encouraged by the broad participation of students, faculty, staff, parents, and alums as the search process gets underway.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered their thoughts and shared insights. Your contributions will help us attract and identify a world-class Head of School to lead Castilleja into its next chapter. We were delighted that more than 300 of you participated in last month’s survey, and that our partners from Spencer Stuart were able to meet with over 150 members of the community during their three-day visit to campus.
Your feedback was impassioned and consistent. We found broad agreement on what we all treasure and value about Castilleja: the curiosity, dynamism, and intellectual commitment of the students and faculty; the distinctiveness of the all-girls environment and the opportunities it offers; the intentionality of the curriculum and the richness and strength of our community. Informed by the survey and our conversations throughout the community, the search committee is preparing an “Opportunity Statement”—a detailed job description and an articulation of the skills and attributes we seek in the next Head of School, including:
- A visionary to provide insight and energy to advance Castilleja toward its goals
- A collaborative leader focused on community-building and developing trusting relationships with students, parents and guardians, faculty, staff, and alums
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An academic strategist who can engage intellectually with talented faculty, and gain their confidence through a commitment to academic excellence and exceptional teaching
- An equity champion who can inspire, support, and drive impactful engagement on issues of social justice, equity, and inclusion
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A wise steward for Castilleja’s financial and physical assets, with organizational acumen to see our campus modernization project through to completion
We plan to publish the Opportunity Statement during the week of January 22, as part of a new Head of School Search page on aproteka.com designed for both the community and prospective candidates.
In the meantime, if you have additional input or feedback to share with the search committee, please feel free to reach us by email directly or at CastillejaHOS@spencerstuart.com. Members of the committee will also make themselves available at the All-Parent/Guardian meeting with incoming Interim Head of School Julia Eells next Thursday, January 18.
As we enter the new year, we would also like to reiterate our pledge that this search process will be transparent, deliberate, and equitable. Our committee will spend time getting to know the candidates, making sure they understand the richness of Castilleja School and the work ahead, and conducting rigorous interviews and reference checks.
Again, thank you for your ongoing support and participation in this important process. We look forward to continuing this journey together.
Odette Harris P’22 ’24 Search Committee Co-Chair
Jeff Wong P’24 Search Committee Co-Chair