Dear Regis Community,
In January, Mr. Dennis Phillips, Head of School, announced that the 2021-2022 school year would be his last at Regis. I am writing to you today to introduce myself and to discuss Regis’ search for a new Head of School. My name is Ed Sullivan, and I currently serve as Vice Chair for the Regis Board of Directors. I am a parent of a former Regis student, Class of 2020, who attended the school for nine years, and the Board has appointed me to serve as Chair of the Search Committee for the next Head of School.
The purpose of this e-mail is to keep you informed on the progress of the search to date, outline for you how we will conduct the search and seek your assistance as we move towards our shared goal of finding a top-tier successor to Mr. Phillips.
What Has Happened So Far?
The Search Committee has five members. In addition to myself, the other committee members are: Lauren Summerville, current Board Chair; Alton McDowell, current parent and Board member; Melissa Moore, current parent and Board member; and Sister Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ, Head of the Conference of Sacred Heart Education. While each committee member has a different background and skill set, we all share a proven commitment to Sacred Heart education and Regis’ mission.
The Committee solicited search proposals from several nationally known firms that specialize in finding top talent in the educational field. We reviewed each submission carefully and ultimately decided to interview the two firms we thought provided us with the best proposals. After the interviews, the Committee unanimously recommended to the Board that Regis engage Resource Group 175 (“RG 175”), a consultancy firm specializing in Head of School placements for independent schools.
RG 175 has a proven track record of success, and 96% of their Head of School placements remain with the school for at least three years. Regis’ consultant at RG 175 is Ms. Arlyce Seibert, the former Head of School of Cranbrook in Bloomfield Hills, MI. Ms. Seibert has established connections within the Sacred Heart community across the United States and has assisted several other Sacred Heart schools in their searches for Heads of School. The Board accepted the Committee’s recommendation and unanimously voted to engage RG 175.
What Are The Next Steps?
Ms. Seibert will spend the next 4-6 weeks learning more about Regis—its strengths, challenges and needs. She will meet with the faculty, a focus group of parents (none of whom will be current Board members) and the Board on April 13-14. A key component in the discovery phase of the process is a community-wide survey that will allow each of us to provide Ms. Seibert with our input and priorities. Following this discovery process, she and RG 175 will develop a candidate pool. With Ms. Seibert’s assistance, the Committee will then narrow the pool over the coming months.
Regis will then invite finalists to visit the school to meet with parents, faculty and other community stakeholders. The Committee will solicit feedback about the finalists from these constituent groups and make a recommendation to the Board. Our goal is to have a named successor in place by the end of 2021, and Mr. Phillips is committed to working with the Head-elect to ensure a smooth transition for the 2022-2023 school year. After the Head of School is in place, Regis’ Board and Ms. Seibert will develop a transition team to assist the newly appointed Head of School.
How Can You Help?
To find the best candidate suited to the unique needs of Regis, RG175 and the Committee understand it is essential to gather your thoughts about Regis. What do we do well? Where do we need improvement? What skills do you wish to see in a new Head of School? RG 175 and the Committee have prepared a survey—linked below—to assist us in aggregating those responses in order to have a clear understanding of what our community thinks about Regis’ present and future and what types of skills would be beneficial for the next Head of School in the coming years.
Please fill out this critical survey here.
You are free to choose whether or not to fill out the survey anonymously. Responses will go directly to RG175.
In conclusion, the Committee understands the importance of its task, and each of us promises to give our best efforts in finding a new Head of School that will make Regis proud. Should you ever wish to reach out to me, my e-mail is edwinsullivan@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
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