Head of School Search

Welcome to Our Head of School Search Information Page,

We know that the search for a new leader can be one of the most exciting and challenging parts of a school's operations. One challenge is that there is often so much information coming out in a short time that it can be hard to keep track. In addition to parent & community letters, we are setting up this website to provide a place where you can refer back to all that is happening in our search. Check back often for updates.

Warmly,

Mary & Rodolfo

Dr. Mary Antón, Acting Head of School
Rodolfo Ornelas, Board of Directors, Chair of the Head of School Search Committee

Head of School Search Firm: Carney Sandoe & Associates

It is with great pleasure that we announce that the NLS Search Committee has selected Carney Sandoe & Associates, a nationally renowned independent school faculty recruitment service, to be our Search Consultants for our Head of School search.

We are fortunate to have two dedicated search consultants that we will be working with directly who will guide our process.

Brandon Jacobs, who is the DEIB Practice group leader for Carney Sandoe in addition to his work as consultant, and Cathy Shelburne, who in addition to being a consultant and executive coach, was Director of Professional Learning for California Association of Independent Schools. Cathy has lived and worked in independent schools in the Bay Area and has been a trustee in numerous independent school boards throughout California. Brandon hails from the East Coast, and has worked as Director of DEI at the Shipley and Hill Schools prior to joining Carney Sandoe. Brandon and Cathy bring a wealth of experience in both the search process and in supporting strong independent school environments that honor and support a range of diversities.

Understanding the nature of our school and learning about what we are looking for from our next Head of School from all stakeholders is of paramount importance to Brandon, Cathy and the Head of School Search Committee. While the exact dates are still being determined, two of the first steps include a visit by the consultants to the school, including meetings with a range of stakeholders, and the collecting of survey data. The goal will be to have the consultants on site talking to stakeholders in March, to conduct finalist visits in May and to have an appointment for the community by the beginning of June.

We are excited to have this process underway and look forward to active community participation.

Timeline

EVENT	TIMING
Announcement of the Search Firm	Week of February 24
Community Survey distributed	Week of March 3rd
Consultants conduct campus visit and Stakeholder Meetings	March 10th
Candidates apply & are screened; Semi-Finalist Interviews*	March 15 - May 5
Finalists’ visits	May 5th- May 9th (Exact dates TBD)
Public Announcement	Late May Early June
Transition Committee appointed	Late May Early June

Stakeholder Survey

It is with great pleasure that I forward the attached survey prepared by our search consultants, Brandon Jacobs & Cathy Shelburne from Carney Sandoe Associates. This survey is one way that our consultants are gathering information about what our community wants and needs in a new head of school. The survey will be available from Wednesday, March 5, 2025 to Friday, March 14, 2025 at 8:00 pm.

We encourage you to use this link to help our consultants guide the search.

Community Meetings with the Search Consultants

We are delighted to be welcoming Brandon Jacobs & Cathy Shelborne to campus on Monday March 10, 2025. They will spend the day meeting with different groups, touring the school and meeting with the NLS Board. There will be two open times for parents to meet with the consultants, one each, in-person and virtual. We invite you to join one of the open conversations.

IN PERSON - 8:15am-9:15am
VIRTUAL - 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm, Zoom Link HERE!

There will be separate meetings for teachers & staff, administrators, alumni, FTC executive board and students.

Meeting with the search consultants is an essential part of the recruitment process for our Head of School position. The information that they gain will help them recruit qualified candidates and market our amazing school. We hope that you will be able to participate.