March 11, 2021
Dear Putney Alumni and Friends,
Over the past few weeks, there has been quite a bit of activity surrounding the search for our next Head of School. A Search Committee has been appointed to oversee the process, and a search firm has been hired. The committee has selected Nishant Mehta and Sherry Coleman from Storbeck Search as our partners for our head of school search.
The committee includes members of our community who bring diverse experiences and deep knowledge of Putney and of education more broadly. I’m delighted that they have agreed to take on this daunting task, and I’m confident that they will steward us through an effective and thoughtful search process.
Search Committee Members:
Elizabeth Blaylock ’80, Chair (Trustee); Corinne Byus ’22 (Student/Trustee); Rebecca
Geary P’17, ’19 (Trustee); Josh Laughlin ’82, P’21, ’23(Board Chair); Bob Raynolds ’69 (Trustee); Pete
Stickney (Faculty); Abby Verney-Fink (Faculty)
The overall responsibilities of the Search Committee are to guide the search process, to articulate our priorities for the next head of school, to evaluate the candidates and to recommend a candidate to the Board of Trustees. As their first task, the Search Committee has identified the search consultants Both Nishant and Sherry bring years of experience as leaders and as search consultants with independent schools. The committee was deeply impressed at their thoughtfulness in understanding our mission, beliefs and history, and also the need to address the pressures on independent schools today and the challenges ahead.
We know that input from members of our on-campus and off-campus community is essential to a successful search. In partnership with Sherry and Nishant, we expect to set up opportunities this spring for members of our community to share their thoughts about the priorities and criteria should use in selecting the next Head of School and the search process overall. More information about these “listening sessions” and other opportunities will be forthcoming shortly.
We also want to acknowledge our gratitude to Emily for her extraordinary leadership and the care and wisdom with which she continues to guide the school. We anticipate that the search process will provoke robust discussion about the challenges and choices ahead. Our ability to engage in that discussion honestly and vigorously owes much to Emily’s leadership and to the confidence she has inspired and continues to inspire in the Putney School.
All the best,
Elizabeth and Josh
Elizabeth Eisold Blaylock ’80
Chair of Head Search Committee
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees
Joshua D. Laughlin ’82, P’21, ’23
Chair of the Board of Trustees