The School has begun the search for next Head of School, who is set to replace Judy Guild starting from the 2027-2028 school year. 

The Board of Trustees is working with Carney, Sandoe & Associates, an education recruitment firm for independent schools, to conduct the search. 

Early last month, the school distributed a nine-question survey to students, faculty and parents seeking feedback on the desired qualities of the next head of school and the key areas the school should address.

According to an email from Head of School Search Committee Chair Chris Chou, the results will be used to develop the Position Paper and to help assess potential candidates.

“I think the idea of finding someone to take this role after Judy is obviously a daunting task, just because she’s such an impactful person to our Brimmer community,” Chou said. “She’s just so great at what she does.”

Allison Gaines-Pell and Lisa Parsons are the two associates from Carney, Sandoe & Associates working with the School on the search.

The associates also visited the School in late January to talk to faculty, the Parents Association, and several student representatives.

Gaines-Pell described the two primary goals for their visit to the School: to get to know the community and to understand how they should be thinking about the position.

“We are storytellers and ambassadors for the School and for the position of Head of School,” Gaines-Pell said, “and we wanted to understand the people and philosophy that make Brimmer tick so we can do that best.”

Gaines-Pell also shared the three questions they asked during meetings with community members:

• “What do you love and what should never change about Brimmer?”

• “What do you think the work ahead for the next Head is and will be?”

• “What are some important qualities we should be looking for in the next Head?”

These questions, combined with the results from the survey, helped them put together an Opportunity Statement that is currently shared with many thousands of potential candidates.

The Position Description, published by Carney & Sandoe and shared on the School’s website, details the opportunities and challenges for the next Head with enrollment and positioning, strategic planning, endowment and financial aid, and nurturing faculty and staff culture. 

The document mentions that “the new Head will need to be a visible enrollment ambassador, able to tell the story and articulate Brimmer’s unique value proposition, engage community members nearby and in the Boston area, and ensure that Brimmer is well known.”

According to Gaines-Pell, the visits are the beginning of the search as they meet with the search committee and then with members of the community. Following this, they will conduct interviews and eventually share candidate files with the search committee, who will then decide who to meet for the semi-final interviews.

“This phase is very confidential and will likely seem quiet to the community,” Gaine-Pell said, “because candidates need to protect their confidentiality because they are in other positions. 

After the semi-final phase, the committee will host a few finalists for public visits, likely towards the end of the school year, when everyone will have a chance to meet the candidate in-person and when another survey will be sent out to gather input.

“The committee will review all the feedback and ultimately, make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees then extends an offer to the new person, who will have a year to transition and will become Head in July of 2027,” Gaines-Pell said.

Gaines-Pell also added that many candidates have expressed interest because the School has a strong reputation as a “wonderful community.”

“The most important factors will be aligning the candidate’s experience and qualities with Brimmer’s community and the important work ahead,” Gaines-Pell said. “Some of those things can be assessed on paper, but a lot of it will depend on the interviews and the visits at the end of the process.”

Gaines-Pell and Parsons hope for the search to be completed by this summer, although it is important to account for the potential twists and turns. Still, they express optimism for the process. 

“Lisa and I enjoyed meeting everyone, including getting to know Judy and her work, and we love talking to candidates about your school,” Gaines-Pell said.

Chou explained that the School is looking for “a breath of fresh air.” At the same time, he emphasized the importance of holding tight to “what makes Brimmer Brimmer.”

Editors’ note: This story was updated Friday, March 6 to include insight from Board Chair Chris Chou.