Head of School Search

April 20, 2021

Dear Marlborough Community, 

As we head into the final weeks of the 2020-2021 school year, we are excited to share an update on our search for Marlborough’s next Head of School. 

Our search firm, Spencer Stuart, has spent the last several months reviewing the qualifications of over 200 potential prospects for this role, pursuing conversations with over 90 high-potential prospects, assessing the interest and qualifications of approximately 50 individuals, and meeting with dozens of qualified leaders from well-regarded schools. During that time, the entire Search Committee also participated in two anti-bias training sessions with Robert Greene of Cedar Burwell. 

As of today, we have narrowed our search to four potential candidates. First Round interviews took place at the beginning of April, followed by the second round two weeks later. We had four full days of inspiring meetings with truly exceptional candidates. Discussions included our current strategic plan, mission and vision, the market and landscape of both independent and girls education, diversity, equity, and inclusion work on campuses, and academic and leadership philosophies.

From here we will select 2-3 finalists who we plan to introduce to representative community groups in the coming weeks. While we may need to be flexible in our timing in light of other independent school searches, COVID guidelines, and also of the candidates’ need for privacy during this phase of the search, we look forward to keeping you updated on the process as we near the final selection of Marlborough’s next Head of School. As always, we invite you to contact any member of the Search committee with questions or concerns. 

Warmly, 

Laura Brill P '20
Search Committee Co-Chair

February 11, 2021

Dear Marlborough School Community,

On behalf of the entire Search Committee, we extend our appreciation to those of you who participated in community forums with the Spencer Stuart search team and to the more than 420 of you who shared your perspectives via our online community survey. These efforts were designed to provide the entire community with an opportunity to share thoughts regarding Marlborough School and the attributes you hope to see in the next Head of School. It also provided a chance for individuals to highlight opportunities and challenges they see for the next leader.

The comments and feedback we received were critical to the development of a Position and Candidate Specification for our next Head of School. We are pleased to share the final version here and it will also be posted on the Marlborough School Head of School Search webpage. The Search Committee and the Spencer Stuart team are moving ahead with identifying candidates and are using the Position and Candidate Specification as our guide.

Marlborough is an extraordinary school, and we are seeking an exceptional leader. We are grateful to those who were able to participate. We look forward to your continued engagement throughout this process. 

Warmly,

Laura Brill P '20
Search Committee Co-Chair

Missy Kolsky ’87, P ’17, ’16
Search Committee Co-Chair

November 20, 2020

Dear Marlborough Community,

We hope this message finds you and your loved ones well. As you heard from Marlborough Board President Marla Ryan in late October, Dr. Priscilla Sands will be retiring at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. We are tremendously grateful for all she has accomplished for Marlborough and look forward to her continued leadership over the next 18 months. 在短期内, guided by Spencer Stuart, a leading search firm whose independent school practice is widely admired, we have begun the search for Marlborough’s next Head of School and write to you today with an update on that process. 

We are pleased to announce that the search committee has been assembled and includes a diverse range of stakeholders:

COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
Laura Brill, P ’20 and Missy Kolsky ’87, P ’17, ’16

COMMITTEE MEMBERS
艺术奥乔亚,P”18岁
Marla Ryan, P ’17
Eraka Bath ’89, P ’26
Elaine Paul P ’26, 23
Dorothy Kim ’90
Chelsea Patterson, P ’21
Helen Mendoza, Dean of Faculty
Andrew Witman, Robotics Coach and STEM+ Programs Co-Head

In addition, the committee will be receiving support from members of the school’s Senior Leadership Team, including Nick Hernandez, Associate Head for Finance and Administration, Carly Rodriguez, Director of Communications and External Affairs, and Jenn Wells, Director of Equity and Inclusion.

While this committee will be instrumental in Marlborough’s search, as a community we strive to include as many voices and perspectives as possible. In the coming weeks, members of the search committee and Spencer Stuart search consultants will meet with students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumnae through video conversations. To be sure that everyone associated with the school has the opportunity to share their thoughts, each member of the Marlborough community will also receive a short, anonymous survey that we hope you will use to relay your insights, experiences, opinions, and ideas for the next Head of School. 

Thank you, in advance, for engaging with the search committee in this important process for the school. We look forward to keeping you updated and informed every step of the way and we wish you a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving holiday. 

Warmly,

Laura Brill, P ’20
Missy Kolsky ’87, P ’17, ’16

Dear Marla,

Over the past six years, I have learned to appreciate the beauty of the changing light of a Los Angeles fall, signaling the beginning of my favorite time of year. This autumn, however, is bittersweet as I am announcing my retirement from a job and a profession that I have dearly loved. I will be leaving Marlborough at the end of my 2022 contract. I finally owe my wonderful husband John some time together as well as with our children and grandchildren, whom I have sorely missed. As an unabashed optimist, the time seems right, as I have always believed that within great challenge lies great and abundant opportunity, and for Marlborough the future has never been more exciting or limitless. 

When I arrived in 2015, I agreed to come for five years knowing full well that our time as leaders is a footprint in the sand, yet when the Board asked me to extend for a year, I did so willingly and when asked again, I agreed, as I wanted to celebrate the completion of our Performing Arts space and renovation underneath Combs Gym as well as the implementation of our Strategic Plan. Our education has never been stronger and we are enriched by the diversity of our stories and heritages. The next chapter of Marlborough’s amazing history will be written through the lens of equity. And what a story it will be!

Looking back, I am most proud of the work that is still undone, and it is what energizes us all. I am profoundly grateful to the amazing Senior Leadership Team who continue to work tirelessly toward an exciting vision for the school. They are truly the best of the best. I have had the honor of working with an unparalleled faculty and staff who are committed to the intellectual life of each student as they teach and work with passion, intellect, and incredible strength through this challenging time. They never stop giving and caring. I thank the Alumnae Association where I have found many kindred women and friends. I love the passion of Marlborough graduates. And of course, my deep and abiding gratitude to the Board of Trustees who has committed their unwavering support to the vision of an ever-evolving school rich with tradition and committed to equity and inclusion. 

We are a school that includes kindness as a core value so excellence can take root and grow in a caring community. I leave with the school in such good hands and I have been so honored to have spent the twilight of my career at Marlborough, a school that I have admired from afar and leave loving dearly. My heart is always with the students and I will miss them beyond words. They are the shining stars that always burn so very bright for me. 

Thank you, Marlborough community, for your warmth, your graciousness, and your generosity of spirit. I will be deeply involved with all aspects of school life until Graduation Day 2022 when I will wave farewell and send my 7th class of Violets out toward their next adventure with godspeed and my abiding love and admiration.

Warmly,

Dr. Priscilla Sands
Head of School
priscilla.sands@alanallport.net

Dear Marlborough Community, 

In 2015, Marlborough began an exciting new chapter in our school’s history with the beginning of Dr. Priscilla Sands’s tenure as our eighth Head of School. As a veteran of girls’ schools, first as a student and later as an educator, administrator, and Head, Priscilla brought with her to Marlborough a bold vision for academic innovation, a deeply-held commitment to the mental and physical well-being of our community members, a strong belief in the power of sparking purpose through learning, and an unwavering dedication to keeping students at the heart of every decision, effort, and initiative. I write to you today to announce that, after a transformative tenure as our Head of School, at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year, Priscilla will retire from Marlborough. 

Over the past five years, Priscilla’s impact on Marlborough has been both profound and lasting and I am tremendously grateful for all that she has accomplished for our community thus far. In 2018, after leading a two-year fundraising, planning, and renovation process, she opened the doors to the Shari & Ed Glazer Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Weaving together engineering, digital arts, robotics, media, academic research, and entrepreneurship, the CEI has become a community hub for Marlborough, enhancing collaboration and experiential learning and preparing every student for college and career—including jobs unknown to us today. 

Recognizing the importance of integrating health, wellness, and kindness as foundational priorities at Marlborough, Priscilla has dedicated significant resources to these efforts, envisioning and establishing the school’s Educational & Counseling Services Department. With the subsequent addition of two full-time school counselors, a full-time Health and Wellness Instructor, and—this summer, the school’s first-ever full-time Registered Nurse, we are now able to proactively support the well-being of every student.       

Last fall, to support the growing need for increased conversations and work in our community around equity and inclusion, Priscilla initiated a national search for another Marlborough “first-ever”—a Director of Equity and Inclusion, hired in the spring of 2020. At the same time, while also overseeing the school’s quick and nimble transition to remote learning, Priscilla worked closely with the Board of Trustees to envision, create, and reach unanimous approval of the school’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, Redefining Excellence. Focused on the areas of equity, excellence, wellness, and engagement, we are grateful to have this important roadmap in hand and know it will serve as a North Star for our community and next Head of School.

As we look ahead to choosing the next Head of School at this pivotal moment in Marlborough's history, we have engaged the services of leading national search consultants from Spencer Stuart to assist us with this important process. The Board has also established a Search Committee led by Trustees and parents of alumnae Missy Mingst Kolsky ’87 and Laura Brill. I want to assure you that all constituencies will be invited to participate in this process by sharing their voices at key points throughout the search. We will communicate with you on the status of the search throughout the process and at surveys.alanallport.net/headofschoolsearch. 

On behalf of the current and former Trustees who have had the privilege of working with Priscilla, I extend my deep gratitude for the many meaningful contributions she has made to our school and community, and for the extended time table she has provided us to complete this important search. We look forward to continuing our work together on a number of significant initiatives over the next nineteen months, including our highly-anticipated return to campus and the re-imagining of Caswell Hall and its environs. Additionally, we look forward to our community coming together in celebration of Priscilla’s significant and lasting impact on our school. 

Thank you in advance for your support as we prepare for a successful transition and the next exciting chapter for Marlborough. I look forward to sharing more information as we begin the next phase of this process.

Warmly,

Marla K. Ryan
President, Board of Trustees
boardpresident@alanallport.net