Announcement from the Search Committee 3/27/19

Message from the Search Committee

March was a busy month for the Search Committee. We met to review the Head of School applications from our pool of outstanding candidates. We reached a consensus on the best of these potential leaders and invited eight candidates to interview as semi-finalists with members of the committee. Six of the semi-finalists were able to come to Wesley and meet with us in person; the two more distant candidates interviewed via video link.

Each of the semi-finalists has a broad range of the skills and experience we are seeking in our next Head of School. A significant number are currently Head of School or Division Head at their current school, and the others are well positioned to make the transition to Head of School. As with previous decisions made by the Search Committee, the selection of semi-finalists was a thorough, thoughtful and deliberate process held with careful attention to our community's diversity and inclusivity values.

After our semi-finalist interviews, the Search Committee reached a unanimous consensus to invite four candidates back to Wesley for more extensive meetings and interviews. We are confident that our careful attention to the semi-finalists has revealed who we think are the best final four candidates for Head of School at Wesley.

Each of the four finalists will be on campus for separate two-day visits beginning April 10. As was promised in previous messages, the entire Wesley community will have an opportunity to meet these exceptional individuals. We will send you information on each candidate prior to their respective visits. We will also include a link to an online feedback form to share your observations on the finalists with the Search Committee. During their time at Wesley, the finalists will tour our campus, visit classes, and meet with Faculty, Administration, Staff, Students, Trustees, and others, including Pastor Steve at FUMC.

We have four dates planned for current parents, alumni parents and alumni, and other interested parties to meet each of the finalists. The evening sessions will be held on Thursday April 11, Monday April 15, Wednesday April 17 and Tuesday April 23, from 5:30 to 6:45pm in the Social Hall (child care provided at no charge). Faculty, Staff, and Administration will be provided with a separate schedule for their respective meetings.

Please note that the Search Committee will be thoroughly investigating the references for each finalist. Because of the serious nature of this process and the professional courtesies we must provide to the candidates, we ask that you allow the Search Committee, and the Search Committee alone, to conduct reference checks. In keeping with the respectful and professional protocol we have agreed to with the candidates, if you know of someone who it would be appropriate for the committee to speak with, please contact us so we may reach out to that person directly.

Here is a brief reminder of the overall process for determining our next Head of School:

Hiring the Head of School is one of the most important responsibilities of the Board of Trustees of The Wesley School. To assist in the process, an ad hoc search committee was established, which includes Trustees, Faculty (both Lower and Middle School), and current parents. This group is responsible for doing all of the work associated with the search on behalf of the Board of Trustees. Throughout the process they have worked to gather all of the information necessary through evaluation of candidate materials, interviews, reference checks, observations, discussions, etc., to find the right person to lead Wesley. The Search Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees as to their choice for the next Head of School, and the Board of Trustees will vote on that recommendation.

This is an exciting time for our community and we look forward to your participation in welcoming the finalists on campus and in the selection of our next Head of School. As was stated above, we will provide you with more details just prior to their respective visits. Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please feel free to email us.