Oak Hill School Head of School Search

Oak Hill School is engaging in a thoughtful search and well-planned transition for our next Head of School. View or download the complete Head of School search information and job description and spread the word. This is our current timeline:

Application Deadline: August 1, 2023
Semifinalist Interviews: Late August/Early September
Finalist Visits: Late September/Early October
Appointment: November
Start Date: July 2024

Head of School

  • An astute listener and observer with the skills to quickly understand the school and who will work with the board, faculty and staff to create a plan and courageously take the steps to move forward to a stronger, sustainable future.
  • A willingness and interest in taking a critical leadership role in enrollment management (retention, recruitment and growth) and marketing.
  • Strong financial acumen accompanied by a commitment to fundraising.
  • Experience in building trusting relationships and engaging multiple constituencies within the school community and the greater Eugene area.
  • A proven record of identifying, developing, motivating and retaining a talented faculty and staff.
  • An articulate and charismatic spokesperson in the school community and the greater Eugene area.
  • An outgoing and warm personality with a genuine desire to engage in the school community at every level.
  • An authentic leader who is enthusiastic about the positive benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion.
  • An innovative visionary who is willing to look and think outside the box.
  • Evidences an abundance of characteristics typically found in successful school leaders: present, approachable and responsive, courage with kindness, character above reproach, excellent verbal and written communication skills, relationship builder, data-driven decision-maker, lifelong learner, humility, a sense of humor and the ability to work collaboratively and productively with stakeholders to work through conflict and build consensus.
  • Solid understanding of best practices in independent schools and the ability to build systems for effective and efficient operations.

Candidates interested in this position are asked to submit the following materials in a single merged PDF document by August 1, 2023:

  • EC Candidate Summary Sheet and Disclosure Form. Contact Joan Beauregard and/or Eric Temple for the documents; contact information below.
  • Letter of Interest, addressed to the Search Committee
  • Current résumé
  • Statement of Educational Leadership
  • A list of five or more references with contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses
  • Up to three letters of reference (optional)

Email: Joan Beauregard, Partner, Educators Collaborative
jbeau@comcast.net and jbeauregard@educatorscollaborative.com | 206-851-6616

Email: Eric Temple, Partner, Educators Collaborative
etemple@educatorscollaborative.com | 415-279-1837

Head of School Community Sessions

Virtual, May 11, 5:30-6:30pm
In-Person in the Gather Room, May 12, 9-10am

Hiring Committee: Head of School Update – July 11, 2023

Dear Oak Hill Community,

On behalf of the Oak Hill Board of Trustees, I am writing you with tremendous news: Oak Hill has confirmed the placement of a well-respected, experienced and leading Head of School (HOS) as an interim for the 2023-24 school year.

We will introduce him below, but we would like to provide some context first. The HOS search for a long-term placement is still ongoing, and we have many incredible candidates. A thorough process is proceeding as planned with community involvement, with a decision anticipated by the end of October.

Since stabilizing and moving Oak Hill forward since February, Amelie Aust, our current interim HOS, has been very open with the Board of Trustees about the long-term limitations of her current interim position. Oak Hill is a dynamic and growing school, and to stay on track with the many improvements happening, she has emphasized the need for a full-time interim HOS, which she is unable to provide as a volunteer.

The Board of Trustees directed our very networked and knowledgeable recruiters from Educator’s Collaborative to search for a full-time interim placement, which is common in the independent school sphere.

We are excited and enormously proud to introduce Pete Moore as our 2023-24 interim HOS. Pete will join us on campus July 17th, 2023. Allow us to introduce Pete.

Pete has two decades of demonstrated experience in education, with a strong track record in operational best practices, enriching community culture, leading innovation and diversity initiatives, growing enrollment, and fundraising. Our board members have been incredibly impressed by Pete’s focus on communication, utilizing a variety of available tools, as well as his empathetic and visionary leadership, and depth of knowledge and experience.

Here’s a snapshot of Pete’s resume:

  • Served most recently as Head of School for three years at Davidson Day School, a well-respected pre-K to12th grade independent school in Lake Norman, North Carolina.
  • Led the lower school at Lake Forest Country Day School in Lake Forest, Illinois, a prestigious pre-K to 8th grade independent school in the Chicago metropolitan area, where he went on to serve as the Assistant Head of School.
  • Served as Assistant Head of School and Lower School Director at the Chinese American International School (CAIS) in San Francisco (a Pre-K to 8th grade independent Mandarin immersion school).
  • Was a fourth-grade teacher at The Nueva School in California for gifted learners.
  • Served as Director of Technology at Sydney Grammar School in Sydney, Australia.

Upon meeting Pete, you’ll find that he is a genuinely kind, curious, and genuine human being who embodies Oak Hill values. From the initial interviews to time spent with Pete during an in-depth, onsite visit, we were drawn to him as a unique fit for Oak Hill for the following reasons:

  • Pete is an experienced, networked, and passionate Head of School who has worked within the independent school arena.
  • A native of Australia, he brings a global mindset, creativity, and best practices that align with how Oak Hill aims to position itself as we develop caring, responsible critical thinkers.
  • Pete has a diverse teaching and administrative background at a range of independent schools in the U.S. that are known for progressive and gifted education, diversity, and excellence. He has seen and operated within great models and has also improved them.
  • A well-respected reference unequivocally stated that “Pete is hands down in the top 10% of all Heads in the country.”
  • Pete has a track record of doing the things we need to do. He understands how to operate independent schools really well, build and nurture culture, and grow toward a vision. His metrics for all these things have improved significantly at any institution he has led.
  • Coming to Oregon with his wife and two daughters (incoming 1st and 8th graders), their family was seeking a mid-sized university town on the West Coast to be closer to family. They are here to weave themselves into the community and make a real difference.

During the transition, Amelie will continue as our official interim HOS until Pete begins July 17th. Amelie, Pete and the Board of Trustees have already been working hard on the transition plan. Amelie will be available on an ongoing basis to Pete and the team to ensure a successful hand-off.

We are looking forward to utilizing the six weeks of summer before school starts for onboarding, as well as to incorporate Pete’s expertise into our operational planning for next year.

Please watch for more information from the Board of Trustees and from Pete in the second half of July, with opportunities to engage with our new interim HOS. We firmly believe that this transition will maintain our momentum as Oak Hill aims to make next year one of incredible education, community, and growth.

With our “parent” hats on and with resounding agreement from Amelie and our other board members, we are thrilled our children get to attend Oak Hill under Pete Moore’s leadership. Please join us in welcoming to the Oak Hill community Pete and his wife, Chris, as well as his daughters, Ruby and Elise.

Last, we take this opportunity to thank Amelie for her six months of service to Oak Hill. Serving as a volunteer with a separate job outside of this interim HOS role and as a mom to three young children, she managed to stabilize our school – culturally, financially, and operationally. Oak Hill would not be positioned to attract someone like Pete without her heavy lifting and the efforts of our leadership team.

We hope you all continue to have a wonderful summer, and we look forward to connecting soon.

Sincerely,
Leia Pitcher
On behalf of the Oak Hill School Board of Trustees

Pete

Pete Moore, Interim Head of School

Hiring Committee: Head of School Update – April 23, 2023

Dear Oak Hill Community,

As spring takes hold and we move toward the end of the school year, we are excited about the future of Oak Hill. Thanks to our community for your support this year as we navigated so much change. Coming out of the pandemic has challenged schools across the country – not just to operate but to lead with creativity and fortitude to design a future for all.

Our teams have worked tirelessly to deliver on our mission this year, and we are already planning for next school year. In the meantime, we are prepared to launch our search for our next Head of School (HOS) to begin at Oak Hill July 1, 2024.

To date, we have:

  • Assigned a HOS search committee
  • Vetted and hired an executive search firm who specializes in HOS placements
  • Designed a plan for an advisory committee to help when we are further along
  • Created a timeline for our search, which should result in our naming a new HOS by next fall

Several members of the Board of Trustees have agreed to serve on the search committee, led by our board president. The committee members are:

  • Leia Pitcher, President
  • Elliot Berkman, Secretary
  • Boris Aust, Treasurer
  • Stephanie Stutzman
  • Agnieszka Alboszta
  • Diane Hill

While the committee will do most of the early “leg work” with our consultants and candidates, members of an advisory committee (yet to be formed) will help interview finalists when they come to campus near the end of the search process. This group will be made up of faculty, staff and parent representatives and will provide additional information for the search committee to consider in the selection process. There will also be quality time set aside for employees and families to meet candidates and give input.

The recruiter we have engaged is Educators Collaborative (EC), a national consulting firm specializing in working with independent schools, especially in assisting with executive searches. Specifically, EC partners Joan Beauregard and Eric Temple will be guiding us in our search. Both have served as heads of school and each has extensive experience in searches and working with independent schools. Eric is also currently playing a coaching role for Amelie Aust, our Interim HOS, so he will have a unique perspective for candidates that will best fit our community.

While the primary responsibility for managing the process of nominating the next HOS lies with the search committee, the Board of Trustees is committed to making this an inclusive process. In addition to in-person meetings with the search consultants, we are seeking input through an online survey that will be sent soon. We will also share periodic updates on the search process via email and on our website, including opportunities to engage.

Joan and Eric will be visiting Oak Hill School on May 11th and 12th to interview members of the school community and to meet with the Board of Trustees. We will have sessions for parents to meet with our recruiters to learn about the process, offer thoughts about the strengths, challenges and opportunities facing the school, and weigh in on the qualities and skills to be sought for our next HOS. Those times will be published soon as we finalize the agenda.

Using the information gathered during the visit and from the online survey, Joan and Eric will develop a comprehensive position profile for the next HOS. They will begin to build the pool of candidates by listing the position with appropriate agencies and associations, contacting selected educational leaders to solicit recommendations for the position, and reaching out to potential candidates with whom they and their colleagues are familiar. After the candidate pool has been developed, the search committee will meet to review the credentials of the top candidates identified by our consultants.

Through this process, we will seek to find an appropriate balance between involving community input and respecting the privacy of the candidates. This latter consideration regarding candidates is important to help ensure the strongest possible candidate pool.

If you have any suggestions or questions, I encourage you to speak with Joan and Eric while they are on campus or through the survey. In the meantime, the search committee and Board of Trustees are grateful for your support and assistance.

Sincerely,
Leia Pitcher
Board President

Frequently Asked Questions

It is the responsibility of the Oak Hill School Board of Trustees to hire, support and evaluate its sole employee, the Head of School. Members of the search committee are charged with holding the future of the school and its mission at the forefront, and it is our hope that collectively a range of perspectives and experiences will inform the committee’s discussions.

We are optimistic that given the exciting opportunities this position offers that we will attract passionate educational leaders and successfully recruit the next head of Oak Hill School. However, should we not identify the individual whom we feel brings the professional skills and personal attributes needed to lead the school, we will continue with interim leadership. We are committed to making every effort to secure our next Head of School in the coming months.

Absolutely! Community input is very important. The search committee will vet the initial pool of candidates and identify a group of semi-finalists who will be interviewed in a confidential setting. This is done primarily to ensure that those potential candidates who have not yet informed their current schools of their possible interest in a career move will not be compromised by expressing interest in this position. The finalists (usually 2-3) will be invited to visit our campus in the fall and will have an opportunity to meet with members of the Oak Hill School community through a variety of venues and forums.

We are also forming an advisory committee, made up of key constituents in the school such as parents, faculty/staff members and alums/parents of alums. This offers an additional avenue for broad participation in the process. The work of this group is focused on meeting finalists during their campus visits and providing feedback to the search committee.

The search committee in partnership with our consultants has developed a position statement (Information for Candidates) that articulates the opportunities and challenges that await the new Head of School, as well as the professional skills and personal characteristics we believe are most desirable and relevant to successfully lead Oak Hill School. These include an understanding of our school mission and vision and program, demonstrated leadership experience, excellent communication skills, proven abilities in financial management, fundraising, communication and marketing, and a passion for being at Oak Hill School and living in our beautiful area of Oregon.

We are fortunate to have a capable and committed group of professionals working at Oak Hill School. However, no one internally has expressed an interest in the HOS position. If someone does express an interest, they will be considered and reviewed in the same manner. This is crucial to the integrity of the process and to ensure we select the individual we believe to be best suited to be the next leader of Oak Hill School.

Like most independent schools, Oak Hill School will engage in a thoughtful search and well-planned transition over the next months. This is our current timeline:

Position posted: Spring 2023
Application deadline: August 1, 2023
Semifinalist interviews: Late August/Early September
Finalist visits: Late September/Early October
Appointment: November
Start date: July 2024

Interested candidates should contact Eric Temple at etemple@educatorscollaborative.com or Joan Beauregard at jbeauregard@educatorscollaborative.com of Educators Collaborative. They will maintain confidentiality for all recommended candidates. We also invite members of the community to make referrals of appropriate candidates. Please contact Eric or Joan to share names and contact information of potential candidates, and they will reach out directly to them.

We are conducting a national search. While we know that there are many talented education leaders locally, we also know that Oak Hill School is an amazing school and we live in a wonderful place, so well qualified individuals from outside our region will likely be interested.

Feel free to contact the search committee co-chairs, Boris Aust at boris.aust@gmail.com and Leia Pitcher at leia.pitcher@gmail.com directly.