Update on the Head of School search

November 11, 2024

Dear Friend of Chesapeake Academy,

On behalf of the Head of School Search Committee, we are writing with an exciting update about the search. 

The Committee has been hard at work over the last few months evaluating a very strong pool of dozens of interested candidates from across the country, all passionate about the prospect of becoming the next Head of School at Chesapeake Academy. 

A smaller group of impressive semifinalists were then interviewed in late October, and our committee has now selected three outstanding finalists.  

We are pleased to announce that these finalists will visit our campus over the next two weeks. This is an exciting moment for Chesapeake Academy, as this is the time for each finalist to see our school in action and to engage with our students, faculty, current families, and Board of Trustees. 

The candidates and their spouses will each spend three days in Irvington, with one day being a full day on Chesapeake Academy’s campus. The name and a brief biography of each finalist will be shared by email just before their visit. 

The Search Committee genuinely views each of these finalists as a #1 candidate to be our next Head of School, so these visits will be extremely important in our decision making, as we watch each candidate in action and receive feedback from our many constituent groups. 

Throughout this process, the reputation of Chesapeake Academy has shone through. The excellence demonstrated each day by our faculty and staff, in combination with the passionate support of the community and alumni family, make this position very attractive to top-tier educators. Our finalists have all demonstrated that they take our mission, philosophies, and school culture to heart, and want to be a part of our community. For our committee, this has been an inspiring and affirming process—top educators truly recognize CA as the gem we know it to be.

We thank you, in advance, for your commitment to this important stage of the process!

Debbie Newman & Bill Chapman

Co-Chairs

Head of School Search Committee