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February 10th, 2023
Dear Fellow Members of the da Vinci Community,
We hope 2023 is off to a good start for everyone, and we find it hard to believe we are already well into February! We are excited for the many upcoming events and activities at da Vinci, and we look forward to getting the whole da Vinci community together.
With so many upcoming events, we also wanted to make sure we provided an update regarding our work behind the scenes on the Director search. The Board and Mary Ann have been hard at work on this daunting task. At the beginning of January, we formalized our Search Committee to lead this endeavor. Luckily, the Committee does not have a mandated timeline, but instead we will conduct the search in a manner that allows us to find the right candidate. Mary Ann will indeed remain in place until we find that special person who can carry on the rich legacy of The da Vinci School. This person will be one that we all feel is best able to deliver on da Vinci’s promise of providing an incredible early childhood education to future students just as it provides such an education to our children today.
In forming the Search Committee, we knew it was important to have a variety of viewpoints on the committee and thus it is comprised of both current and former members of the da Vinci community as well as individuals with valuable educational insights. Our Search Committee members are:
• Mark Plunkett, da Vinci parent, and Board Chair
• Meredith Wallace, da Vinci parent, and Board Vice-chair
• Ruth Burke, da Vinci Board member, and Associate Head of School – ESD
• Dr. Kathy Tipps, PhD – da Vinci consultant
• Kara Campos, former da Vinci teacher
• Holland Gary, former da Vinci parent and former da Vinci and Greenhill Board Chair
• Mary Ann Greene, Founding Director
In conjunction with the search firm that was engaged last fall, the Committee has been closely evaluating candidate submissions with careful consideration given to the qualities and background aligned with the spirit and mission of da Vinci. We are pleased to say there has been considerable interest in the position, and we have been impressed with the quality of the candidate pool so far. Of course, the reputation of da Vinci is well known, and the strength of its reputation has clearly helped attract a higher quality of applicant.
The Search Committee has been undertaking a diligent process of evaluating the most promising applicants from this pool, and for top candidates, the Committee has begun conducting initial interviews with them. As we select the best candidates from this part of the process, we look forward to engaging additional stakeholders as we carefully evaluate each person and assess their ability to lead da Vinci into the future.
We look forward to providing updates as the search process progresses. Finally, as always, we thank you for your support of this effort and for the shared love you have for The da Vinci School.
With Warmest Regards,
Mark B. Plunkett, Board Chair
Mary Ann Greene, Founder and Director