Pingry's New Head of School

• October 2022 — October Letter to the Pingry Community

• September 2022 — September Letter to the Pingry Community

• PDF — Convocation Remarks
• VIDEO — Convocation Remarks
• VIDEO — Full Convocation Ceremony

• July 2022 — Letter from Board Chair Ian Shrank

February 2, 2022

Dear Members of the Pingry Community,

It is truly the honor of a lifetime to have been chosen to serve as Pingry’s next Head of School. The depth of my gratitude for this opportunity is matched only by my excitement regarding the work that lies ahead and all that we will accomplish—together.

Pingry is a special place because of the people, because of the relationships and the mentorships that we get to build with students and with one another. As a student, I experienced the many ways that Pingry encourages us to foster these bonds. And the inspiration and guidance that I received from teachers and coaches changed the way I see myself and the world and confirmed for me the crucial role that educators play in society.

I came home to Pingry nearly 15 years ago because I felt cared for during my days as a student. I believed that people were invested in my success and my well-being. Today’s Pingry is no different, and it will be a privilege to lead a school committed to supporting our students as they build relationships, grow in confidence, and realize their potential to meaningfully impact the world.

As our next Head of School, I will be honored to continue telling Pingry’s unique and evolving story; to build on its promise to emphasize character and inspire joy; to continue prioritizing and ensuring student and adult happiness and health; to hold in esteem Pingry’s Honor Code and mission; and to further define what success and community mean at Pingry. I am energized by the School’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and by the fact that everyone at Pingry plays a vital role in this vision and work. I believe that actively listening to others and inviting them to share their stories is a powerful way of building trust and community. I am eager to learn from your stories and partner with you to define our future.

I extend my sincere thanks to the Head of School Search Committee for their tireless efforts and their unfailing dedication to Pingry, and for now entrusting me with the responsibility of leading this exceptional school. I also owe my family an equal measure of gratitude for their unwavering support and their willingness to embark on this important and life-changing journey.

The Pingry School is also a family; a place where everybody wants everybody else to succeed. And that feeling of belonging is evident not just in our classrooms, but in our hallways and in our offices, during games, on stages, alumni events, and after-school activities.

Community is what unites us, and brings us back. I cannot wait for you to join me as we write Pingry’s next chapter together.


Sincerely,

Tim Lear
Assistant Head of School for Guidance and Student Life

February 2, 2022
 

Dear Members of the Pingry Community,

On behalf of Pingry’s Board of Trustees and the Head of School Search Committee, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Timothy Patrick Lear as Pingry’s next Head of School. After a thorough process, the Search Committee unanimously recommended Tim to the Board of Trustees, who also voted unanimously in support of his appointment to succeed Matt Levinson effective July 1, 2022.

Tim knows and loves Pingry. His long history with our school, starting with his days as a student over 30 years ago and in his current role as Assistant Head of School for Guidance and Student Life, demonstrates an unwavering commitment to Pingry. We are thrilled to have chosen an exceptional leader who is deeply aligned with Pingry’s core values and ready to move forward with the School’s strategic priorities in a way that unites the Pingry community around its mission to foster in students a lifelong commitment to intellectual exploration, individual growth, and social responsibility.

A long-time New Jersey resident, Tim graduated from Pingry in 1992 and then received both an A.B. in English from Princeton University and an M.A. in English from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English. After 10 years at Oak Knoll School as an English teacher, academic advisor, and ultimately the Director of College Counseling, Tim returned to the Pingry family in 2007. For nearly 15 years, Tim has led Pingry’s College Counseling department, taught English, served as academic advisor, coached Varsity Cross Country, assumed leadership of Student Support Services, and in July 2021, was named Assistant Head of School for Guidance and Student Life.

Tim is married to Eleanor Lear, a lifelong English teacher who taught at Kent Place School, Summit High School, Hood River Valley High School in Oregon, and the Fundación Neotrópica in Costa Rica before coming to Pingry in 2015 to teach Middle and Upper School English. The Lears have three children, all of whom attend Pingry: Hyla ’25, James ’27, and Tighe ’30.

Tim Lear’s appointment as Pingry’s 17th Head of School makes him just the fourth Pingry graduate to hold this position. It also marks the culmination of an extensive seven-month process that began last summer when we announced that Matt Levinson had accepted the headship position at San Francisco University High School and would be returning to the West Coast to begin his new role on July 1, 2022. Pingry’s Head of School Search Committee, consisting of Trustees (including both alumni and current parents) and members of the faculty, engaged Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A) to serve as our search consultant partner.

Widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading independent school search firms, CS&A brought over 40 years of experience to the table, including a deep knowledge of and familiarity with the work, expectations, and culture of schools like Pingry. The firm’s search team was led by CS&A President Devereaux McClatchey. We then turned to you — the members of our Pingry community — to help us define the professional and personal qualities, the temperament, and the right blend of experience that we needed to find in our next Head of School. Over the course of approximately two months, our CS&A partners made multiple visits to Pingry and conducted extensive interviews with faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, administrators, and Trustees. Our online survey gathered additional qualitative and quantitative feedback from over 750 respondents, and more than 500 people participated across 33 separate listening and learning sessions that were made available both on-campus and virtually via Zoom.

The significant and thoughtful input the Search Committee received is a testament to our shared love for Pingry. Your guidance played a vital role in the development of our Head of School Position Description, which CS&A distributed to a broad network of educators and thought leaders around the country and around the world. It came as no surprise to the Search Committee that an exceptionally strong pool of talented candidates with an impressive breadth and depth of leadership experience was attracted by Pingry’s reputation for excellence — in combination with its mission, history, welcoming community, financial stability, and vision for the future as set forth in our Strategic Plan.

We asked, you answered, and your voices were heard. The feedback, insights, and perspectives gathered from across the entire Pingry community were simply invaluable. The guidance you provided coalesced around several important themes, including: the importance of Pingry’s academic excellence and innovation; the need to maintain an unwavering focus on the learning needs and passions of each individual student; and the vital role that the Honor Code must play in the daily lives of the student experience. It was made crystal clear throughout the search process that our next Head of School needed to be someone who embodied Pingry’s mission and values, championed our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and embraced the widely shared desire for a heightened focus on building community and stability. We know we have found the right person in Tim Lear. With his long history and love of Pingry, along with his steadfast commitment to bringing our community together, Tim rose above the other highly qualified candidates.

Head of School Matt Levinson will continue to lead Pingry until the end of June, and he and Tim will actively collaborate over the coming months. We are grateful for Matt’s commitment to work closely with the Board, the administration, and Tim to guarantee a seamless transition for our community and provide Tim with the opportunity to assume his new role from a position of strength and positive momentum.

We express our sincere gratitude to Matt for his contributions to the Pingry community over these past three years. Matt steered Pingry through a time like no other in both the School’s and the nation’s history. While facing challenges on an unprecedented scale, Matt delivered a first-in-class, nationally recognized educational experience for our students, making in-person learning a reality while also building out our technology infrastructure so we could pivot on a dime to remote learning when necessary — all while also ensuring the health and safety of every member of our Pingry community.

We extend our sincere thanks to our fellow members of the Search Committee for their hard work and dedication. Special thanks are also due to Lisa Reichart, Executive Assistant to the Head of School, for her invaluable efforts and talents, and to our partners at Carney Sandoe for their excellent work: Devereaux McClatchey, Heather Flewelling, Seliat Dario, and Jessica Wright. Their commitment to this process along with the crucial input we received from all of you — administrators, faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni, and current, past, and honorary members of the Board of Trustees — allowed us to select the best candidate to lead our remarkable institution.

Please read this message from Tim to the community, and join us in welcoming Tim Lear as Pingry’s 17th Head of School!

With warmest regards,

Ian Shrank ’71  
Chair, Board of Trustees 

Lori Halivopoulos ’78, P ’23
Trustee
Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

Stuart Lederman ’78
Trustee
Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

Pingry Head of School Search Committee:

• Denise Grant P ’23, Trustee
• Lori Halivopoulos ’78, P ’23, Trustee, Co-Chair Search Committee
• Dev Ittycheria P ’19, ’22, Trustee
• Judy Lebowitz, Upper School Latin Teacher, Mentor Program Director
• Stuart Lederman ’78, Trustee, Co-Chair Search Committee
• Leslie Miller P ’29, ’31, Lower School Physical Education Coordinator, Health Teacher, Lower School Enrichment Coordinator
• Jason Murdock, Middle School History Teacher, Admissions Counselor
• Margaret Santana P ’22, ’24, Former Trustee and Past President of The Pingry School Parents’ Association
• Kevin Schmidt ’98, Trustee and President of the Pingry Alumni Association
• Ian Shrank ’71, Chair of the Board of Trustees
   

January 4, 2022 Dear Pingry Community Members, We hope you enjoyed your Winter Break and are looking forward to a happy and healthy 2022. The Head of School search process continues to move forward and we are pleased to share that the Search Committee, in partnership with our consultants from Carney Sandoe & Associates (CS&A), has seen a very strong pool of talented candidates with an impressive breadth of experience from all over the country. The quality of the candidate pool has benefited greatly from the significant and thoughtful input provided by the entire community and we thank you all again for your partnership in this effort. After reviewing dozens of resumes and conducting numerous candidate discussions before the holidays the Search Committee has selected three finalist candidates. These finalists will each visit Pingry for two full days and will tour all our campuses, have individual and group meetings with members of the Search Committee, administration, faculty, staff, and trustees and meet with select groups of students, parents, and alumni. The schedule of candidate visits is still being finalized, but they will take place during the weeks of January 10 and 17, 2022. Of course, we are closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and may need to modify our plans if warranted. Finalist names and bios will be released to those meeting with the candidates prior to their respective visits. As noted in earlier communications, the Board of Trustees hopes to appoint a new leader for Pingry to begin this summer but is also realistic about the fact that a permanent Head could potentially not begin until the summer of 2023 (with an Interim for the 2022-23 academic school year). We expect to be able to share more definitive news with respect to the timeline no later than February. On behalf of the Search Committee, we thank you again for your unwavering support of Pingry and your continuing thoughtful contributions. As always if you have any questions or feedback please email us at headsearch@pingry.org. Warmly,

Lori Halivopoulos, ’78, P ’23, Trustee Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee Stuart Lederman, ’78, Trustee Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

November 2, 2021 Dear Pingry Community, We hope you’re all enjoying a terrific fall. Since our last announcement in mid-September, we have endeavored to engage deeply, and with as many members of our Pingry community as possible, in order to solicit your feedback and insights about the School and this important forthcoming leadership transition. In addition to the online survey which over 750 of you completed, our consultants from Carney, Sandoe & Associates participated in 33 separate Listening Sessions, both on campus and virtually via Zoom. Over 500 individuals participated in these exchanges, and your feedback has been instrumental in helping our Search Committee think strategically about this search and Pingry’s future leadership. While it would be impossible to succinctly aggregate all the feedback we have received, several important themes emerged:   This is a beloved community, where students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents all care deeply about Pingry. The academic excellence of Pingry is appreciated and prioritized across all constituents, both in terms of traditional intellectual rigor and with respect to pedagogical innovation and exploration. Even as the School has continued to grow in enrollment, scope, and footprint, community members appreciate Pingry’s unwavering focus on the learning needs and passions of each individual student. Pingry’s commitment to “well-roundedness” and the Honor Code are two deeply rooted values of the School, which make it increasingly unique among other larger K-12 independent schools in the region. Various faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni shared a desire for a heightened focus on community and stability moving forward, as both external events (Covid, racial injustices, political events) and internal changes (transitions in administration and faculty) have been difficult to navigate. Many community members have appreciated the School’s increased attention to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, but believe more important work remains, especially with respect to ensuring that each student feels a sense of inclusion and belonging. The next Head of School should embody the mission and values of Pingry, in particular the goal of fostering in students “a lifelong commitment to intellectual exploration, individual growth, and social responsibility.” Our consultants have started to engage with potential candidates about the opportunity. We’re pleased to share the Position Description here. Last week, our Search Committee participated in an excellent Implicit Bias Workshop, which we felt was an important and insightful exercise in exploring what sort of biases might factor into our candidate interviewing process. In terms of timeline, we have noted in earlier communications that we hope to be able to appoint a new leader for Pingry to begin next summer, but we’re also realistic about the fact that a permanent Head could potentially not begin until the summer of 2023 (with an Interim for the 2022-23 academic school year). We expect to be able to share more definitive news with respect to this timeline no later than January. Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful contributions to this process and for your unwavering support of Pingry. Warmly, Lori and Stuart

Lori Halivopoulos, ’78, P ’23, Trustee Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee Stuart Lederman, ’78, Trustee Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

September 13, 2021 Dear Pingry Community, The search for Pingry’s next Head of School is well underway. One of our initial priorities is to solicit input and perspective from as many of you as possible regarding the desired qualities and experiences in our new Head. We plan to do this both via an online survey (see below) and also through virtual ‘listening sessions.’ The survey results, in conjunction with the insights gleaned from the listening sessions, will help provide criteria and parameters in terms of the candidate recruitment process. Please take a few minutes to complete the online Head of School Search Survey by September 30. In the coming weeks, Carney, Sandoe & Associates — and in some cases members of the Search Committee — will host a number of virtual listening sessions with various constituencies of the Pingry community to solicit input and to learn more about our School. More information about these sessions will be forthcoming. You may contact us with search-related questions or comments at headsearch@pingry.org. We thank you in advance for your time and willingness to share your thoughts and perspective on this important process. Warmest Regards,

Lori Halivopoulos, ’78, P ’23, Trustee Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee Stuart Lederman, ’78, Trustee Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

August 16, 2021

Dear Pingry Community,

We are writing to share with you the progress made to date in the search for Pingry’s next Head of School. As we move towards this goal, we will be periodically updating our community with pertinent information and opportunities for involvement. We thank you, in advance, for your engagement in this process and hope that you share in our excitement and confidence that the search for Pingry’s 17th Head of School will yield an outstanding leader.

Ian Shrank, ’71 and Jeffrey N. Edwards, ’78, P ’12, ’14, ’18 (current and former Chair of the Board of Trustees, respectively), asked us to serve as co-chairs; we are honored to accept this responsibility and look forward to working with the Pingry community.

Since the July 1, 2021 letter announcing Matt Levinson’s departure, a Pingry Head of School Search Committee was formed and includes representation from both trustees and faculty:

• Denise Grant, P ’23, Trustee
• Lori Halivopoulos,’78, P ’23, Trustee
• Dev Ittycheria, P ’19, ’22, Trustee
• Judy Lebowitz, Upper School Latin Teacher, Mentor Program Director
• Stuart Lederman, ’78, Trustee
• Leslie Miller, P ’29, ’31, Lower School Physical Education Coordinator, Health Teacher, Lower School Enrichment Coordinator
• Jason Murdock, Middle School History Teacher, Admission Counselor
• Margaret Santana, P ’22, ’24, Former Trustee and Past President of The Pingry School Parents’ Association
• Kevin Schmidt, ’98, Trustee and President of the Pingry Alumni Association,
• Ian Shrank, ’71, Chair of the Board of Trustees

After interviewing and evaluating several outstanding firms, the Head of School Search Committee has engaged Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A) to serve as our search consultants. CS&A has over 40 years of experience in placing leaders, administrators and educators in independent schools and is widely recognized in the educational search industry. Recent Head of School searches include The Spence School, Collegiate School, Deerfield Academy, Westminster School and Morristown-Beard.

The particular consultants leading our search bring extensive experience in and deep knowledge of the work and culture of schools like Pingry. Devereaux McClatchey, President, who will lead the firm’s search team, has over 20 years of experience in executive search with CS&A and has led the firm since 2004. Joining Devereaux are Heather Flewelling, Chief Talent Officer & Search Consultant, Seliat Dairo, Senior Associate. 

Our hope is to have a new Head of School in place by July 1, 2022. However, we are entering into the hiring cycle late in the calendar for positions of this caliber, and we will prioritize finding an exceptional new leader for Pingry over any particular timeline. Therefore, it remains possible that an interim Head of School will be appointed, and we will continue our search for a permanent placement to begin on July 1, 2023.

It is our goal to be as inclusive as possible in this search, and we will make sure that there are numerous touch points with a variety of members of our community, including parents, students, administrators, faculty, staff and alumni. Some of the ways we will gather information include an online survey and CS&A-led virtual listening and learning meetings that will take place in the coming months. All of this feedback will serve to inform a compelling school statement and position description reflecting our desired qualities in a new Head. The position description is the document from which all candidates will be evaluated.

In order to attract the caliber of candidates we desire, a certain level of confidentiality is necessary. Out of respect for candidates who are currently employed in top leadership positions at other institutions, our search will remain confidential up until the finalist round, at which time we aspire to introduce final candidates to a wider group of community members and gather feedback.

As the search progresses, please do not hesitate to reach out to us with your input and feedback via the following email: headsearch@pingry.org.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Head of School Search Committee, we are hopeful that you share in our excitement for our Head of School search. Thank you in advance for your confidence and engagement as we move through this important process.

Warmest Regards,

Lori Halivopoulos, Trustee, ’78, P’ 23 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee Stuart Lederman, Trustee, ’78 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

 

July 1, 2021 Dear Pingry Community: We write to share the news that Head of School Matt Levinson has accepted the headship position at San Francisco University High School starting July 1, 2022. A former San Franciscan, this move will allow Matt to reunite his family to the city in which his children were raised and where both Matt and his wife Priyanthi Alahendra previously worked. We know San Francisco University High School will benefit greatly from his creativity, his innovation and his leadership. In sharing with us this news, Matt spoke of his great optimism not just for the school year ahead, but for Pingry’s bright future for years to come. As we look ahead to the 2021-2022 school year, Matt will continue to lead our school and be a resource for our students, families, faculty and staff, while at the same time helping to support our leadership transition. Since joining Pingry in 2019, Matt has steered our community through a time unlike any other in both the school's and the nation’s history. In the last 18 months, we have experienced the twin crises of the greatest social unrest in over 50 years and the greatest health crisis in over a century. On a global scale, the pandemic presented the education system with unimaginable challenges, and during this time, Matt contributed to Pingry’s success by rising to the occasion and delivering a first-in-class, nationally recognized experience for our students through Pingry Anywhere. As our nation reconciled publicly and painfully with its history of inequalities, Matt led our community conversation regarding diversity, equity and inclusion with grace and dignity, thereby demonstrating a strong commitment to our entire community that Pingry will be a leader in this realm. At the same time, Matt steered Pingry through a very intense and diligent process that culminated in the likely acquisition of the Pottersville campus of the former Purnell School, which will position Pingry for an exciting future with enormous potential for experiential and immersive learning for students and housing for faculty and staff. We are forming a search committee, co-chaired by Trustees Lori Halivopoulos, ’78, P ’23, and Stuart Lederman, ’78, which will shortly hire an executive search firm. As we have done in the past, we will engage the broader community, including parents, faculty and staff, alumni, and students, to assist with our search. We are so very fortunate to be able to conduct this search with the support of a dedicated board, a talented and dedicated administrative team, and a dynamic and devoted faculty. As we look ahead to this search, we know you will join us in our sincere expression of support for Matt and his family’s decision and appreciation for his contributions to the Pingry community. The departure of a Head of School is never easy, but with each transition comes opportunity, which is particularly the case given the opportunities on the horizon for Pingry. The search for a new Head is a chance for us to come together as a community, and to unite in pursuit of an important objective – to find the best leader to take Pingry forward. At this point in time, Pingry is positioned for success, both in the short-term and long-term. We are confident that our next Head of School will build upon our strong foundation and take the Pingry community to an even more successful future. With gratitude and best wishes,

Ian Shrank ’71 Chair of the Board of Trustees Jeffrey N. Edwards ’78, P ’12, ’14, ’18 Former Chair of the Board of Trustees