Head of School Search

Tony Featherston, Search Consultant
As a longtime faculty member for the NAIS Diversity Leadership Institute, Tony Featherston has extensive experience cultivating leaders in schools. His leadership in the area of diversity and inclusion informs his work in schools, with school leadership, and boards of trustees. Since joining RG175 in 2018, Tony has completed head of school searches in New York City, New England, the South, and on the West Coast. Click here for more.

Cathy Hunter, Search Consultant
Cathy Hunter has spent over 40 years in independent school education, serving as teacher, dean, division head, head of school, trustee, and consultant. She was part of the RG175 leadership team for Wildwood’s recent Director of Middle School and Director of Upper School searches. Click here for more.

Steve Morris, Search Consultant
Steve Morris served as Head of The San Francisco School for 15 years. He has worked as a teacher and administrator in independent schools for the past 28 years. He was part of the RG175 leadership team for Wildwood’s recent Director of Middle School and Director of Upper School searches. Click here for more.

Christine Cho, MD, MPH, MEd (P. ‘28, ‘31)
Wildwood Trustee and Search Advisory Committee Co-Chair

Mike Kaplan (P. '29)
Wildwood Trustee and Search Advisory Committee Co-Chair

Michille Al-Faisal (P. '31, '34, '37) 
Wildwood Trustee

Jaimi Boehm (P. '32, '34)
Associate Head of School

Charlene Fitzgibbon (P. '25)
Wildwood Trustee and WWPO Board Liaison

Marc Frankel
Wildwood Trustee

Rachel Hedgepath '13
Kindergarten Lead Teacher

Ashley Kramer (P. '19, '22)
Emeritus Trustee

Glenda Martinez (P. '21)
Wildwood Trustee

Susan Olsen (P. '24, '27, '29)
Board Chair

Tim Sekula
Upper School Science Teacher

Azizi Williams
Wildwood Trustee

Choosing a new head of school is one of the primary responsibilities of the Board of Trustees. The Board will take care to ensure a fair, inclusive, and rigorous search process. As with much important Board work, a smaller committee has been created to focus on the specific goals to be accomplished and make recommendations to the Board. The Search Advisory Committee is a carefully selected group of primarily Board members, but also faculty and administrators, who will work with the RG175 consultants to navigate the search process. Wildwood community members are also an important voice in the process. The ultimate decision to appoint the next Head of School will be made by the Board.

Appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Search Advisory Committee oversees all aspects of the search process. Led by trustees Dr. Christine Cho and Mike Kaplan, the committee works closely with our consultants RG175, gathers data and feedback, interviews candidates, and makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The Board ultimately makes the final decision for the appointment of the next Head of School.

Head of School Landis Green has made it clear that he, too, is invested in the success of this search for the next leader of the school to which he’s dedicated the last two decades. He will support the search process in any way that is asked of him, and—as is the norm in situations like these—there are clear boundaries. He will not be involved in the work of the Search Advisory Committee but has agreed to honor any requests it has of him.

Overseeing the search process and advising the committee are Tony Featherston, Cathy Hunter, and Steve Morris from RG175, a nationally recognized consulting firm for independent schools and proven leader in Head of School searches. They bring decades of school head experience to the search and have a deep understanding of the independent school landscape. RG175 has an extensive knowledge of Wildwood, having previously partnered with the school for its Director of Middle School and Director of Upper School searches.

The Board of Trustees believes it is essential for the integrity of the search process and its decision regarding the hiring of the next Head of School that we engage in a full search that follows the principles of best practices established by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Although associate heads of school are often well suited for the role (in fact, several previous Wildwood associate heads are now current heads of school), Associate Head of School Jaimi Boehm has no intention of applying and has agreed to serve as a member of the Search Advisory Committee.

The Head of School is responsible for managing the academic program, curriculum, admissions and enrollment, employees, facilities, financial health, fundraising, community relations, and the day-to-day operations of Wildwood School. The Head of School partners with the Board of Trustees to set the school’s long-term strategic plan and ensures the Mission is fulfilled. A Position Statement drafted by RG175 and the Search Advisory Committee detailing the key aspects and qualifications for the role is available here. 

For all interested applicants, please note that the application deadline is Saturday, February 15, 2025. The start date for the role is July 1, 2026. Candidates are requested to submit these materials online at rg175.com. 

The search process will take from fall 2024 to late spring 2025, with a goal of announcing the new Head of School before June 2025. The timeline is a guideline, not an absolute. The goal is to find the right candidate, regardless of deadlines. Dates could change depending on the state of the process. Key milestones will include candidate evaluations, interviews, and community engagement sessions. Head of School Landis Green will continue to serve in the role through the end of the 2025-2026 school year, thereby enabling a lengthy transition period for his successor to assume the role. For a more detailed timeline, please see above.

The Search Advisory Committee will communicate with community members throughout the process via email and updates to this website. Relevant updates will also be shared in official school communications, such as eNews.

The search process includes opportunities for the members of the community to have a voice. Through a survey and in-person meetings, RG175 will gather input from the Wildwood community about the school and the characteristics the members of the community hope to find in the next Head of School. Community members will be invited to meet with finalists on campus at a date to be communicated to the community. The community can provide feedback on the finalists to the Search Advisory Committee.

If you know of a candidate you would like to recommend, please direct them to this website in mid-November and encourage them to submit their materials to RG175.

Interested candidates can be directed to this website in mid-November and should contact our search consultants Tony Featherston (tfeatherston@rg175.com), Cathy Hunter (cshunter33@gmail.com), or Steve Morris (steve.morris@rg175.com). Tony, Cathy, and Steve will maintain confidentiality throughout the process.

Please reach out to headsearch@wildwood.org with any questions.