I'm delighted to let you know that at its most recent meeting, acting on the unanimous recommendation of the Search Committee, the Board of Trustees voted—also unanimously—to appoint Derek R. Boonisar as the next Head of The Fenn School, effective July 1, 2018.

As many of you are aware, over the past three months Derek has gone through a rigorous process of personal, in-depth interviews with the Search Committee; extensive surveys and feedback forms; and many small group sessions with faculty and staff, trustees, alumni, and parents. During the course of this process, the Search Committee of thirteen—nine Trustees and four faculty and staff—held a series of in-depth discussions to assess and discuss Fenn's needs for the future and Derek's candidacy as Fenn's next Head of School.

The Search Committee and the Board of Trustees were enormously impressed with Derek's deep knowledge of Fenn and understanding of Fenn's school culture, developed and honed over his twenty-two years of service to Fenn as teacher, advisor, coach, Director of Secondary School Placement, Upper School Division Head, and Assistant and Associate Head of School; his commitment to middle school boys' education; his outstanding ability to communicate with every part of Fenn's diverse constituency; his excitement regarding Fenn's future; and his ability to balance continuity and change. It was also clear to the Search Committee and the Board that Derek is held in very high regard by many, many members of the Fenn community. (A letter from Derek follows, and a brief biography is also attached.) 

My deepest thanks go to the Search Committee, wonderfully and wisely led by Kevin Parke as its Chair, and particularly to the faculty and staff members who served on the Committee—Tory Hayes '02, Veronica Jorge-Curtis, Elise Mott, and John Sharon—whose thoughtful contributions were vital to the Committee's discussions. For the next fifteen months all of us in the Fenn community are doubly blessed to benefit from the leadership, wisdom, and expertise of Jerry Ward through June of 2018 and to look forward to Derek Boonisar's "arrival" as Fenn's next Head of School in the summer of 2018.

Sincerely,

Jim Kitendaugh  P'97, P'05                            
Chair, Board of Trustees                    

Dated April 18, 2017