3 minute read
Meet David Mancos:
CFO and 2021–22 Interim Head of School
DAVID MANCOS joined Country Day in May 1999 and has proven himself to be an excellent Chief Financial Officer and integral member of the school’s management team. As a committed and hard-working leader, he has shaped and developed a “best practices” culture that touches every aspect of the school’s operations—from investment to accounting to property and grounds to ancillary services. Under David’s leadership, our school’s endowment has grown substantially, and he has overseen the construction or renovation of 12 buildings over the course of three capital campaigns.
David holds a BS in business management from the University of Maryland, an AS in criminal justice from Gadsden College, and an MS in human resource management from Chapman College. Prior to joining Country Day, David oversaw business operations at Charlotte Area Catholic Schools. A U.S. Army veteran, David served for 21 years at various locations throughout the world.
In 2015, David was inducted into Country Day’s Honorary Alumni Association. In honoring David, Head of School Mark Reed, said: “A highly capable leader, Davidsets the strategic direction for the school’s operations, and also collaborates closely with the Board chair and members of the Finance, Investment, Audit, Property and Grounds, and Head’s Advisory and Compensation Committees. Through his loyalty, honesty, candor, straightforward communication, humility, and hard work, David has been a trusted partner to the school’s leadership for over 22 years.”
Get to know a little more about David.
Q: In your role, you walk through every classroom before the first day of a new school year to make sure we’re ready to go, as well as oversee multimillion dollar construction projects and a $55 million operating budget. Which do you prefer?
I enjoy both aspects of my job and havealways viewed my role as doing whatever ittakes to ensure the smooth operations ofour school—whether that’s the safety of ourstudents or the wise and prudent managementof our financials. My responsibilitiesdon’t often intersect directly with studentsand their families, but I would say servingstudents well is always my goal.
Q: How do you lead and manage others?
I have led men and women for over 50 years. I think they would tell you I lead by example, modeling the behavior I expect from others. I let my deeds, not my words, say who and what I am. I also live by the motto to never ask a person to do something that you will not do or have not done yourself. When it comes to school leadership, I was fortunate to be hired and trained by Margaret Gragg Bissell, one of the best heads of any school.
As a leader, I recognize that I do not know everything, especially when it comes to the academic side of running a school like Country Day. I plan to leverage the educational expertise we have in Bill Mulcahy (head of Lower School), Warren Sepkowitz (head of Middle School), Matt Less (head of Upper School), and Scott Waybright (assistant head of school). They are four well-equipped academic leaders, and I will rely heavily on their experience and recommendations. That said, while I am comfortable delegating my authority to those who may know more, I can never delegate my responsibility.
What do you value most about Country Day?
Q: Country Day is truly a caring community. I know it’s easy to say that, but when my wife, Kyong, had breast cancer, the school community went above and beyond to support us. I will be forever grateful for what this community did for us.
