Pingry's Next Head of School

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.”

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

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