From the Desk of the Head of School- January 17, 2020

1/15/2020

Dear Parents,

Back in October I announced a national search for a Director of Teaching and Learning and this afternoon I wanted to take a moment to update you on that search.

First, I want to thank the Search Committee: Tara Taylor, Grace Wilkinson, Patrick Noon, Amy Gartenberg, Jay Codispoti, and Laura Underwood for their gift of time and attention in this endeavor. Since we convened in October, this group has collectively dedicated extensive hours to this search. They have been invaluable in their thoughtfulness throughout this process and I am most grateful to them for making this search possible.

Second, the search process, informed by the NAIS Independent School Guide to Hiring and further developed by the committee, has been incredibly thorough and intentional. The opportunity of being a part of Harding Academy in the Director of Teaching and Learning role was a highly sought after one. In October the committee reviewed fifty-two applications from across the globe (since that time we have received well over seventy applications). From this initial pool of candidates eighteen high quality candidates were selected to move on to be interviewed by myself, Jay Codispoti, and Laura Underwood. The questions we used in our interviews were developed by the committee and our notes were shared across that group.

After an exhaustive examination of these interview round candidates, the committee selected eight semi-finalists, which were scheduled for in-person or Zoom interviews with the entire search committee. Over the last month and a half, the committee has met with each of these semifinalists and this week we met and selected our three finalists. These three candidates are gifted educators, committed to student success, and their experience, competencies, and philosophy align well with Harding and our vision for the Director of Teaching and Learning. They are:

Jessie Garlinghouse: Jessie is currently the Director of Extended Learning at Heathwood Hall in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to her time at Heathwood Hall, Jessie served as Language Arts Department Chair and a GDS U Faculty Fellow at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C. Jessie also taught First and Third grades at Georgetown Day School and Hearst Elementary School while in Washington D.C. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Kansas State University, a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of Southern California, a Certification of Advanced Education Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is on track to earn her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California in 2022.

Eric Fecht: Eric is currently an Education Consultant, Special Projects and Professional Development Coordinator, and Academic Director for Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth. Since 2018 he has served as an adjunct professor in the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. Prior to his time at Vanderbilt Program for Talented Youth, Eric was a coordinator/coach, teacher-mentor, and Program Coordinator for the Gifted and Talented Pilot Program at the Abu Dhabi Education Council/Vanderbilt University in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Eric began his teaching career with Teach for America in Baltimore City. Eric holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Minor in Secondary Education from Western Washington University, a Master of Arts in Education from Johns Hopkins University and Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California.

Suzanne Nave: Suzanne is currently the Mathematics and Language Arts Specialist for Fourth and Fifth Grades at Harding Academy. Prior to her time at Harding Academy, Suzanne served as a sixth grade math teacher at Northland Preparatory Academy in Flagstaff, Arizona. She was also a University Instructor at Northern Arizona University, School of Education and the Environmental Science Instructor and Experiential Education Facilitator for the Flagstaff Unified School District. She began her teaching career at the University of Memphis Campus School where she served as an elementary teacher, student teacher supervisor, and a member of the Core Planning Leadership Team. Suzanne holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, Human Development and Learning and a Master of Science in Education, Instruction, and Curriculum from the University of Memphis, a Doctorate of Education, Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Arizona University, and a Master of Science in Education, Independent School Leadership from Vanderbilt University.

The finalists have been invited to campus for an intensive full day interview experience that will involve all of our stakeholders. I have asked the Harding Parents Association Executive Board, led by HPA President Misty White, P ‘20, ‘22, to meet with each of the candidates as representatives of the parent body. Please feel free to reach out to Misty or any many member of the HPA executive board if you would like to sit in on their meeting or touch base generally. It is important to note that as much as we will have an opportunity to get to know these candidates better, this is also the time when they will have a chance to understand the Harding Academy community better as well. As we get closer to their respective visits, you can expect that we will post on CompassNet each candidate’s cover letter, resume, the schedule for their interview day, and a feedback form. At the conclusion of the visits, the Search Committee will meet and review all of the feedback and make a recommendation to me.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at skeend@hardingacademy.org.

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