This message was shared with the Visitation School community on October 18

Dear Visitation School Community,

We are pleased to provide an update on our search for Visitation’s next Head of School. As we have previously communicated, we are committed to ensuring our community is regularly updated on this important process.

As a reminder, our goals for the search process are as follows: 

• Comprehensive engagement with all community stakeholders, which will provide multiple opportunities for input and engagement from donors, faculty and staff, parents, and alumnae.
• Frequent communication. As the process progresses, we will keep our community updated.  
• Select the very best Head of School who is capable of honoring and preserving the Sisters' living legacy and our Salesian values, while also demonstrating transformational school leadership and academic excellence.

We want to thank the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, administration, alumnae, past and current parents, search committee, and our students for the wonderful feedback we received through the online survey and in-person conversations with the Carney Sandoe consultants during their campus visit on September 13 and 14. We received 520 survey responses, and the Carney Sandoe team engaged with over 100 community members. Your feedback is incredibly important and it has enabled us to prioritize the most important skills and requirements for our next Head of School. 

Three major themes/requirements emerged from the survey and stakeholder interviews:

• Our Salesian Values and Catholic Identity - The next head of school must have an understanding of, alignment with, and commitment to our Salesian values and Catholic identity.
• Extensive Leadership Skills - The next head of school should prioritize recruitment and retention of excellent faculty and staff, strong strategy, communication, and relationship management skills, and have an extensive background in executive leadership.
• Academic Rigor – Extensive background and achievements in leading an academically rigorous institution. 

We have collected the feedback and finalized the job description. You can find a copy of the job posting on our website, which is the central location for applicants and community members seeking updates.

The next steps in the process include identifying potential candidates by Carney Sandoe (including the recommendations of qualified candidates provided by our community members), search committee training and interview preparation, initial candidate screening (December-January), and onsite community engagement of finalists after the first of the year (January-February).    

Thank you for your support during this time.

Sincerely,

Jamie Candee
Chair, Visitation Board of Trustees

Meggan O’Shea
Vice Chair, Visitation Board of Trustees

Head of School Search Committee Members

Jamie Candee, Board Chair
Meggan O'Shea, Vice Chair
Anna Marie Ettel '63, ACF Member
Sister Mary Frances Reis, VHM '55, ACF Member
Michelle Culligan '82, Board Member
Helen Twomey, Visitation School Leadership Representative
Elizabeth Arnstein, Faculty Representative
Jackie Kelly Hegarty '04, Alumnae Representative
Phillip Goldman, Past Board Member and Community Representative
Mary Kenkel, Past Parents' Association President