February 14, 2025

Our new search firm, Educational Directions, has begun to assist us in searching for a new Head of School. As a first step, they will be surveying the community for your input to help develop the profile of an ideal Head of School candidate. The survey will arrive in your inbox this Friday, and we strongly encourage you to complete it. Your feedback matters! In addition, our consultants will be on campus next Tuesday and Wednesday (February 18-19). Please look for an invitation to meet with them to share your thoughts. We thank you for your participation in these important first steps in the process.

A search committee for the new Head of School has not yet been created. More about this will come in future messages, and the search will include participation from all members of our community.

In partnership,

Harry Baetjer, President of the Board of Trustees 

Phil Walsh, Chair of the Head of School Search Committee

April 16, 2025

Dear St. Anne’s Families, I write to you with a brief update on the permanent head of school search. First, I’m excited to announce that Dr. Rhae Riegel P‘30, ‘34 has agreed to serve as co-chair of the head of school search committee. Rhae and I will be joined by a mix of trustees, parents, and friends of the school: Taylor Cameron P‘14, ‘16 (Trustee); Melissa Davis P‘30, ‘33 (SAPA President); Dr. Lindsay Heller P‘27, ‘29 (Trustee); Brad Hirsh (Trustee), Diahann Johnson P‘06, ‘13 (Trustee); Don Obrecht GP ‘34; Stephen Ovadje P‘26, ‘30 (Trustee); Erica Wolfe P‘30, ‘35 (Trustee); and Kara Yorston P‘28, ‘29, ‘32 (Trustee). We represent a diverse range of perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences, but all of us are united by a deep love for our school.

We have partnered with Educational Directions, a nationally recognized consulting firm for independent schools. Our consultants, Mike Murphy and Jay Underwood, have already visited St. Anne’s; met with students, families, faculty, staff, and trustees, as well as interim head of school Tonya Beilstein; and published a community survey. Based on those conversations and a careful analysis of survey feedback, they have crafted a position prospectus and are already engaging with high-potential candidates interested in joining the St. Anne’s family. This screening will continue through the summer, and it is our goal to interview, recruit, and hire a permanent head of school by the end of October.

Rhae and I will share more details about the search and its timeline in future messages. We are committed to transparency and good communication, but please know that in order to recruit the very best candidates, the process must be confidential until the finalist stage. You will have the chance to meet the finalists when they come to campus, which will most likely be in September. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to me or Rhae with any questions, information, concerns, or recommendations. You will find us on the sidelines of the soccer field, at carline, or in the hallways at school. Thank you for your continued support of St. Anne’s.

In partnership,

Dr. Phil Walsh P‘24, ‘27, ’27 & Dr. Rhae Riegel P‘30, ‘34

Co-Chairs, Head of School Search Committee

St. Anne’s Episcopal School

June 4, 2025

Dear St. Anne’s Families, as the school year comes to an end, Rhae and I would like to update you on the permanent Head of School search. Since our last communication in mid-April, we have met biweekly with Mike Murphy and Jay Underwood, our search consultants at Educational Directions, who are in conversation with twenty to twenty-five potential candidates. Mike and Jay are also interviewing multiple references in order to learn about each candidate’s character, background, and history. Thorough and expanded background checks will be required for all finalists. Meanwhile, Rhae and I are organizing two working groups staffed by members of the search committee: one to create questions for the semi-finalist candidates, who will be interviewed in early September; the other to support the permanent Head of School’s transition to St. Anne’s. We have also scheduled anti-bias training for the whole search committee to ensure an equitable discernment process.

 Our next communication will arrive in the late summer. At that point we will have identified several semifinalists candidates. We remain committed to open communication and transparency, and Rhae and I are eager to hear from you. Are there any special qualities that you’d like to see in a new Head of School? In what ways would you want to interact with finalist candidates when they visit campus in September? If you have any thoughts, questions, or recommendations, please email us at headofschoolsearch@saintannesschool.org. If you have suggestions about potential candidates, please message Mike and Jay. We welcome your wisdom and advice. 

In partnership,

Dr. Phil Walsh P‘24, ‘27, ’27 & Dr. Rhae Riegel P‘30, ‘34

Co-Chairs, Head of School Search Committee

St. Anne’s Episcopal School

A search is underway to identify a new head of school by October 2025 who will begin their tenure on July 1, 2026. The school has engaged the national executive search firm Educational Directions to assist the Search Committee and the St. Anne’s Episcopal School community with the search.

Please direct all inquiries, applications, and nominations to:

Mike Murphy mike.murphy@edudx.com and Jay Underwood jay.underwood@edudx.com

Candidates should express their interest and begin the application process as soon as possible. It is expected that interested candidates will contact the consultants prior to submitting their application portfolio for additional information.

Candidates should submit:

• A letter of interest addressed to the Search Committee explaining their interest in St. Anne’s Episcopal School  
• A current resume
• The names, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, and affiliation to the candidate of five professional references. References will be contacted after obtaining permission from the candidate. Finalists will be expected to provide seven additional references
• A personal statement detailing their professional journey and philosophy of education and leadership

Search Calendar

• Application deadline July 1, 2025
• Candidates notified of status August 23, 2025
• Semifinalist interviews (on site) September 6 & 7, 2025
• Finalist interviews (on site, 2 days) September 14-24, 2025