Moving a Great School Forward

Update on a broad-based, inclusive, and thoughtful head of school search

THE BOARD of Trustees began a comprehensive search for Country Day’s next Head of School last winter when Mark Reed announced his departure at the end of the 2020–21 academic year. After 12 years at Country Day, Mark will leave a tremendous legacy, and so the challenge is to find an outstanding successor to lead our community going forward.

The Board formed a search committee composed of current and former members of the Board of Trustees, and co-chaired by Shanon Jones and Bill Zimmern ’95. Additional guidance will be provided by a 10-member Faculty and Staff Advisory Subcommittee with participants representing all areas of the school. The Committee selected the highly experienced and well-respected executive search firm of Spencer Stuart to support the Board in running a comprehensive process and attracting talented and diverse candidates to the school.

Spencer Stuart spent much of the winter getting to know our community and conducting an open survey. From there, they developed a Head of School Position Statement, which is currently being used to solicit nominations and recruit excellent applicants. The Search Committee will narrow the list of candidates to a recommendation for approval by the Board of Trustees. We expect the next head of school to be announced early in the next school year.

As stated in the Position Statement, created from our community’s voices, “the Head of Charlotte Country Day School has the opportunity to move a great school forward, inspiring a motivated and a highly engaged community to build on its history and strengths while being mindful of the rapidly evolving world. With a deep commitment to education, innovative and thoughtful mindset, and natural ability to form authentic relationships, the Head will assume leadership of a school committed to academic excellence, principled character, diversity, equity and inclusion, and an abiding connection to community.”

Given the anticipated timing of a thorough search process, the Board of Trustees expects that the new Head of School will likely join after the 2021–22 school year. David Mancos, Country Day’s Chief Financial Officer, will serve as Interim Head of School until the new Head of School is named and begins. David has served Country Day faithfully for over 22 years, earning the immense trust and respect of the Board of Trustees and his colleagues. With David’s leadership, the strength of the school’s administration, faculty, and staff, and our school’s exceptional financial stability, Country Day is well-positioned to find the caliber of leader that the school deserves.

For updates on the Head of School search, please visit charlottecountryday. org/about/head-of-school-search.