Headmaster Search Update - March 15, 2010

The search for Valwood's next Headmaster took a big step forward last week.  Tom Redmon spent three days at Valwood meeting with the faculty, administrators, parents and the Board.  In these meetings, he asked questions relating to the qualities we want in our new Headmaster.  If you were unable to participate in these meetings, we still want your input.  In a few days, you will be sent a survey asking the same questions he asked during his visit last week. It will only take about 15 minutes to respond to the survey - please take time for your voice to be heard.  Once the surveys are complete and the information summarized, we will develop a Position Description for Tom to use in advertising our Headmaster position.

In other news, the Search Committee will interview three candidates for the Interim Headmaster position on Tuesday, March 16^th.  All three candidates are very well qualified and are interested in leading our school next year.  Once the interviews are completed, the Search Committee will recommend the final candidate to the Board of Trustees for their approval.  Hopefully, an Interim Headmaster will be announced in the next few weeks.

The following email was sent to Search Committee Chair, Terrie Lupo on March 12, 2010:

Ferrell Singleton has decided not to pursue the interim headship opportunity at Valwood.  He has determined that the difficulties of uprooting family from the Gainesville area are quite difficult.  His year of commuting to west Atlanta to head the Oak Mountain school was not an easy one.  While Ferrell thinks the world of Valwood and wishes the school and community all the best, the prospect of "going home" to Valwood for a year presents its own dilemmas.  In practical and realistic terms, I can understand his decision.

Thomas Redmon, ED.D., CAE
Senior Search Associate
Carney, Sandoe & Associates

Continue to keep an eye on this page for future updates.

February 25, 2010 - Headmaster Search Committee Update 

Valwood's search for an interim headmaster has now begun. There is typically a short window during February and March for recruiting interim headmasters, therefore; to ensure that Valwood retains the very best interim, this process will be completed rather quickly. The Search Committee will have the responsibility for interviewing interim candidates, and recommending a final candidate to the Board of Trustees. Please continue to visit the Headmaster Search Update page for periodic updates.

Dr. Tom Redmon of Carney, Sandoe and Associates, will kick off the permanent headmaster search process on March 11-13 when he will visit the school to interview faculty, parents, the Board of Trustees, and students.  These interviews will allow our entire school community the opportunity to have input on the qualities we want in our permanent headmaster. 

Please Note:  All parents are invited to an informal visit and discussion with Tom Redmon on Thursday, March 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Godwin Holmes Arts Center.

February 11, 2010 - Headmaster Search Committee Update

The Valwood Board of Trustees announced today the selection of Tom Redmon and his firm, Carney, Sandoe and Associates, to work with us on the search for an interim headmaster and in due course our permanent headmaster.

Tom Redmon has two decades of experience as President of the Southern Association of Independent Schools based in Atlanta, where Tom is a longtime resident.  Tom's leadership of SAIS has allowed him to work with numerous schools in the Southeast and to build a large network within the region.  He is very familiar with Valwood having assisted with our school's recent SACS accreditation process.  Tom's remarkable resume and his experience as consultant to over 200 independent schools mainly in the Southeast are indicative of the exciting and successful search process ahead of us.

Carney, Sandoe and Associates has been retained by over 725 client schools to conduct successful executive searches for Heads and top administrators.  The search firm is responsible for the recruitment and placement of more professionals for independent school leadership and teaching positions than any other such firm in the country, and has been doing so for 30 consecutive years, longer than any other single firm.  Tom Redmon will be calling on his firm's extensive resources as he leads our search process.

Thanks to the generosity of several former trustees, much of the funding required for the search firm has been raised. This will enable the process of hiring an interim headmaster to begin immediately as the next few weeks are the optimum time for interviewing quality candidates.  The Search Committee will have the responsibility for choosing the interim. 

Tom will be visiting the school in the next few weeks to interview faculty, parents, the Board of Trustees, alumni and students.  These interviews will allow our school community the opportunity to have input on the qualities we want in our permanent headmaster.  You will be provided those dates as soon as they are finalized.

As Tom begins his work, there will be more information on our search process posted regularly on the Valwood website. In the meantime, please contact Terri Lupo, chair of the search committee at thlupo@southernco.comor Tom Gooding, chairman of the Valwood Board of Trustees at tomgooding@ebbglaw.com.

December 18, 2009 - Headmaster Search Committee Update

To update everyone on our search for a new headmaster, the school's Board of Trustees this week adopted unanimously the recommendations of the Headmaster Search Committee to

• recruit an interim headmaster with substantial experience to serve next school year, with us conducting a search for a permanent head during that time; and
• to utilize a search firm for the permanent headmaster search and to negotiate with the search firm to include the interim head search for no, or modest, additional fee (we're told this is quite possible).

This is an exciting time for Valwood.  The Search Committee and the Board of Trustees are committed to finding the very best new headmaster for our school.  We are counting on the whole school community to help.  The Search Committee will keep everyone updated on this website page, which we hope everyone will check often.   There also will be future information on the several ways that parents, faculty, staff, and students can provide their input and assistance in the search process. 

Please contact Terri Lupo(thlupo@southernco.com), Chair of our Search Committee, or Tom Gooding (tgooding@ebbglaw.com), Chairman of the Board of Trustees with any questions or comments.

Search Committee
Brooks Akins             bakins@akinsfuel.com
Mike Godwin              mgodwin@ambling.com
Jack Henry                 jhenry@blantongriffin.com
John Lastinger          john.a.lastinger@smithbarney.com
Terri Lupo, chair        thlupo@southernco.com
Debra Petermann     talleypete@bellsouth.net
April Scruggs             anscruggs@bellsouth.net
Billy Tidmore              tidlaw@yahoo.com
Harrison Tillman       htillman@ttllp.com
Tom Gooding             tgooding@ebbglaw.com
         ex-officio

 .

Chairman's Charge to the Search Committee

In accordance with Valwood's policy for Headmaster Succession, the Executive Committee has established a Search Committee to conduct the process to identify a new Headmaster for our school. The Search Committee is to have full responsibility for managing the search process, which will conclude with its recommendation to the Executive Committee, and in turn the Board of Trustees, of a candidate for the Board to select as our next Headmaster.

As part of its work, the Search Committee has been asked to do the following as outlined by the Headmaster Succession policy:

• Recommend to the Board of Trustees whether the school should hire initially an interim Headmaster for the 2010-11 school year (with the search for a permanent Headmaster to be  conducted during that year) or, alternatively, to search now for a permanent Headmaster who  would begin with the school July 1, 2010. 
• Recommend a search consulting firm for the Executive Committee to select to assist the school in its Headmaster search.
• Identify the qualifications and attributes sought in a new Headmaster.
• Seek the input of all Valwood constituencies - families, faculty, staff, students - as the Committee conducts its search process.

The Valwood family is encouraged to contact any of the committee member listed above with questions or input.

Please visit this page often as updates will be provided regularly.  Updates will also be included under Recent News on the Home Page.