A Natural Fit Tennyson Takes Reins as Academy’s 31st Head of School

In the summer of 1999, Chris Tennyson arrived in Lake Forest—an independent school alumnus, The College of Holy Cross bachelor’s degree (economics) in hand— to begin his first year teaching in the Academy’s math department.

Fast forward 23 years to July 1, 2022. That was the day Tennyson quietly moved into the head of school office in historic Reid Hall, officially assuming the leadership from LFA’s 30th Head of School José M. De Jesús P’22, who relocated to New York City to become head of The Dalton School following a three-year stint at Lake Forest Academy.

Just a few weeks prior, on May 28, Tennyson addressed the graduating class of 2022 at commencement. With his typical quiet confidence, he said, “I want us all to pause and think about our journey that brought us here today. How did you learn about LFA? What convinced you to come to LFA? It would have probably been much easier for you to remain at your old school or at home, but you made a different choice—a bolder and more adventurous one.”

Indeed, these graduates followed in their new leader’s footsteps.

“I am honored, humbled, and excited to serve the institution that I have come to love and call home,” Tennyson said. “The

Academy is positioned to do great things in the years ahead.”

Tennyson’s appointment was approved by the school’s Board of Trustees led by Chair of the Board John Marlatt ’65 in March 2022 following a Head of School Search process chaired by Board Vice Chair Jessica Douglas ’96.

“I am so proud of the entire LFA community in helping us make this most important leadership decision for our school,” said Marlatt. “My heartfelt thanks to the Head of School Transition and Search Committee for their tireless work to understand LFA’s needs and to recommend our excellent candidate. I also offer special thanks to our Board of Trustees for their expedient action and full support of our new Head of School. I am fully confident in Chris’ ability to lead LFA to even greater excellence.”

Tennyson’s ascension to LFA’s top leadership post is the culmination of more than two decades of teaching, coaching, and administrative duties. Tennyson was most recently associate head of school and dean of students/academic affairs and helped keep LFA’s doors open during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He has taught in the history and social sciences department, in addition to mathematics. He has coached girls basketball and was a key member of the Head of School Equity Task Force.

But beyond titles and job descriptions, Tennyson’s adult life is rooted at LFA. He met his wife, Maggie, after she joined the Academy’s math faculty in 2003; they married and now have three children— Hugh, James, and Mary Cate. With a combined 40-plus years on campus, their lives have touched thousands of students and hundreds of faculty/staff. “LFA is now so much of who we are as a family,” he said. “This is our home.”

And there’s no doubt the couple’s collective experience is the very definition of institutional knowledge. Maggie Tennyson’s LFA career includes teaching geometry and many levels of calculus and algebra. She has coached cross country and track and nurtured generations of students as dorm parent in nearly every on-campus residence hall. Maggie has also worked with the summer English as a Second Language program that introduces international students to the school. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Middlebury College and a master’s degree in secondary mathematics education from DePaul University. During his time at LFA, Chris completed his graduate degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Scranton.

As Chris Tennyson forges his own leadership path, he says he’ll look back on experiences to guide him in staying focused on the top priority, “remaining studentcentered.” He continues teaching and draws upon his time as dean of students, about which he said, “I represented the student voice to the best of my ability, and it meant a lot to me to get to know the students as best as I could. LFA has become one of the greatest learning environments in the country because we have remained steadfast toward our educational mission and guiding principles.”

Acknowledging the asset that is LFA’s campus, Tennyson says he looks to the completed construction of the new Health Center as the next tangible benefit to the community. “We have undergone a physical transformation of the school’s campus,” Tennyson said. “The new Health Center is a game-changer in terms of taking care of the people in our community.”