Head of School Search

Per the by-laws of Landon School, the Board of Trustees is responsible for selecting and hiring the next Head of School. The Board established a Search Committee, chaired by Debra Graham P ’18 ’20, comprising current trustees and faculty that will engage in the search process and ultimately recommend a candidate to the Board.  

The charge of the Landon School Board of Trustees to the Head of School Search Committee is to engage in a thoughtful, thorough process to identify, assess, and ultimately recruit and recommend the best possible candidate for the Board to consider as the next Head of Landon School.  

• Stevie Brown P ’16, Faculty 
• Debra Graham P ’18 ’20, Board of Trustees 
• Lisa Hertzberg P’21, Board of Trustees 
• Burnell Holland III ’01, Board of Trustees  
• Ted Lamade ’00, Board of Trustees 
• Inger Rosner P ’20 ’23 ’27, Board of Trustees 
• Bill Magruder ’92, Chair, Board of Trustees 
• Nii Amaah Ofosu-Amaah ’00, Board of Trustees 
• Paul Padalino P ’15, Faculty 
• Brooke Seawell ’65, Board of Trustees 
• Peter Ventimiglia P ’26, Board of Trustees

The criteria for the Search Committee included a 100% commitment to Landon’s mission, vision, and values; a diversity of perspectives and opinions; prioritizing the best interests of the school; and a willingness and ability to commit a significant amount of time to the process. 

Spencer Stuart is the national search firm selected by Landon’s Board of Trustees. Mary Gorman, Aaron Mieszczanski, and Katie Stellato will partner with the Search Committee to ensure a successful process and outcome. Working closely with the Search Committee, they will gather input from conversations at the school and an online survey; finalize the position description; and conduct extensive outreach into the desired candidate pools, seeking to identify leaders whose experience, backgrounds, attributes, and characteristics align with Landon’s aspirations for the next Head of School. The Spencer Stuart team will support the Search Committee through the interview and recruitment process, ensuring that the candidates’ and committee’s need for information, diligence, and confidentiality are met. 

The Search Committee is committed to incorporating all perspectives from the Landon community when making this important recommendation to the Board. There are several ways in which members of the Landon community can share their thoughts and advice. First, all community members will be sent an invitation to participate in an anonymous e-survey. Second, the team at Spencer Stuart will be on campus in mid-March, gathering insight from many different groups within the Landon community. Finally, community members are encouraged to email the confidential search inbox (LandonHoS@SpencerStuart.com) at any point throughout the search process to submit advice to the search committee as well as to nominate individuals who they think would be a good fit to serve as Landon’s next Head of School. 

The Search Committee will take the time it needs to identify and recruit the next Head of School for Landon. The Search Committee has a draft timeline that results in an appointment by the fall, but if at any point the Search Committee feels that the candidate pool is not up to our community’s expectations, then the search will continue its work to engage additional candidates. 

Jim will continue to lead Landon until June 30, 2026. He will meet with Spencer Stuart to share his advice about the school and its future. The Search Committee will seek his input as they see fit throughout the process. We expect that finalist candidates will be keen to meet with him to learn more about Landon at the appropriate time.  

The Search Committee welcomes your comments and nominations. Please feel free to contact the Spencer Stuart team at LandonHoS@SpencerStuart.com.