We are pleased with the progress we are making and recognize that the exceptional pool of candidates is a testament to USN’s outstanding reputation, the attractiveness of our community, the strength of our school, and our significant forward momentum.
Dear PDS/USN community,
We hope your summer has provided some occasions for refreshment as we gear up for launching our fall semester.
Our
search for a new Director has been heavily informed by PDS/USN community input, including over 600 responses to the community survey in the spring and robust participation in the April campus visits of our consultants at
Carney, Sandoe & Associates. We are pleased with the progress we are making and recognize that the exceptional pool of candidates is a testament to USN’s outstanding reputation, the attractiveness of our community, the strength of our school, and our significant forward momentum.
Over the past few months, Carney, Sandoe & Associates has engaged with roughly 175 individuals about the opportunity to serve as our permanent Director. Having reviewed a carefully curated subset of this large pool, which includes a diverse group of sitting heads of school and senior leaders in excellent independent schools across the country,
our Director Search Committee has invited a select group of candidates for confidential, in-person interviews with the Search Committee later this month. We are excited to get to know these candidates more deeply, to share with them the special qualities and attributes of our school and the PDS/USN community, and to introduce them to Nashville as their potential new home. Candidate names will not be shared in advance or following these semifinalist interviews, as is common nationally at independent schools with hiring practices at this administrative level.
In September, we aim to host the finalists at our Edgehill Campus, where we anticipate candidates will spend time on campus, engaging with faculty, staff, administrators, students, parents, and trustees.
We remain optimistic that the Board of Trustees will name the next Director by mid-fall, allowing for a robust transition period in close partnership with Interim Director Juliet Douglas and the Board.
Look for an additional update in the weeks ahead as we move towards the finalist phase of the search process. Thank you for your participation, and please send questions to us at
directorsearch@usn.org.
Sincerely,
Naima Walker Fierce, Trustee, Director Search Committee Co-Chair
Erin Zagnoev, Board Vice President, Director Search Committee Co-Chair