Search for Roeper’s Permanent Head of School Moving Full Steam Ahead

As the 2011-12 school kicks off, the search for new head of school is well under way, with a search committee comprising faculty, students, parents, support staff, alumni and trustees leading the effort.

In the meantime, Phil Deely will serve as Roeper's interim head of school for the 2011-12 school year until the search for a permanent leader is complete. Deely replaces

“We’re looking for a permanent head of school candidate whose philosophy about education is compatible with who we are and where we envision being in the future,” said Leslie Hosey, chair of the Roeper Head Search Committee and parent of two Roeper grads and a fourth-grader. “Roeper is a school for gifted students, and what we find is that the people who fit best here are typically gifted adults.”

According to Deely, the school is expected to name a new head at the beginning of 2012.

Roeper, a co-educational, K-12 private school for gifted and talented students with campuses in Bloomfield Hills and Birmingham, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. The head of school oversees the entire school system; directors at the and campuses direct daily activities at each location.

The search committee has contracted with Carney, Sandoe & Associates, a search consulting firm out of Boston, to lead the recruitment effort. The firm has posted the Roeper head of school position nationally and internationally and is currently filtering responses.

Resumes for the strongest candidates are being shared with the search committee, which will then identify three to four candidates to be invited to campus for in-person interviews. As part of the candidate review process, some members of the search committee may also visit candidates at their current schools to observe them in that setting. The search committee will then make a recommendation to the Roeper Board of Trustees.

“Our goal is to have a candidate recommendation to the board for approval at its January meeting,” Hosey said. “The primary goal for the permanent head of school is for him or her to be thinking about the school’s long-term future. They should have a vision for the school and see that vision through.”

An interim solution

Because most searches for heads of school take eight to 14 months, the search committee opted to bring an interim head on board to give the search for a permanent head the time and attention it needed to be done right.

“Phil Deely is a professional interim,” Hosey explained. “Typically, interim heads of school have served as a head of school somewhere else and have moved into a consulting role. They have experience beyond just running a school.”

Deely’s role will be to help smooth the path for a permanent head.

“The interim head of school won’t make any broad, sweeping changes,” Hosey explained. “The simplest way to describe Phil’s role might be ‘caretaker.’ He will facilitate discourse among and between the board and other constituency groups; maintain and strengthen school programs; guide the board in completing the school’s strategic plan; and foster an environment that will set up the permanent head for a successful transition.”

Deely comes to Roeper from Stockbridge, MA, and since 2001 has served as an interim head of school in locations across the country. Before that, Deely filled various roles in a 40-year career in education: history teacher, head of a history department, academic dean, head of schools and even head of a museum.

“Phil’s interpersonal character stood out,” Hosey recalled of the interim head of school search. “The search committee found him warm and genuine. We liked that he has experience as a former head of school and as a consultant to a number of schools and nonprofit boards.”

Deely will be taking over for Dunn, who now serves as head of Chicago’s Latin School. During his tenure at Roeper, Dunn was instrumental in building the Community Center, where the school now houses its basketball court and classrooms for art and music, and in beginning development of the Children’s Library, slated to open late this fall.

“During Dunn’s time with Roeper, we saw a significant increase in endowments,” Hosey said. “He was also responsible for making the Roeper philosophy more real and relevant in the community.”

That philosophy is driving the school’s search for a permanent head.

“Candidates have to be drawn to who we are,” Hosey said. “It’s a great setting of collaboration and team-based decision making. We are looking for someone to come in who understands our philosophy about progressive education.”