Head of School Transition

In 2022, the Board of Trustees in partnership with Head of School Dr. Lori-Anne Brogdon and staff, faculty and parents from across divisions completed a forward-looking Strategic Plan for Catherine Cook School. This plan builds on the school’s solid foundation as a leader in whole-child education, innovation immersion, and DEI programming (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) to achieve next-level excellence and sustainability in all areas. As the school began to implement this plan in 2023, the Board of Trustees considered the longer-term leadership needs of the school and appropriate transition points. June 30, 2024, marks the end of Dr. Brogdon’s current contract as Catherine Cook’s Head of School and therefore felt like a natural transition point to bring on a new leader to build on Dr. Brogdon’s many contributions and propel us into our next chapter. This timing also coincides with Dr. Brogdon's partnership in the completion of numerous key initiatives, including a facilities & grounds study and a comprehensive market, mission & enrollment study that will lay the groundwork for investment, talent, fundraising, and brand development opportunities going forward.

We encourage you to view our Head of School Search Prospectus for a complete overview of the opportunity and ideal candidate. In particular, pages 10 and 11 outline key expectations for our next Head of School based upon data and insights gathered by Educational Directions, including the community’s survey responses.

The full Strategic Plan for Catherine Cook, completed in 2022, can be found here. In summary, it outlines three pillars— Inspire Learning, Embrace Community, and Prioritize Investment— that ground our strategic goals for the next 5+ years and keep us on a vision course of building an inclusive learning community where evidence-based practices, innovative learning design, and strong relationships are at the heart of our educational excellence.

The Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for hiring the next Head of School; therefore, they will meet with finalists and consider the recommendation from the Head of School Search Committee to extend an offer to the next Head of School. Hiring, supporting, evaluating the Head of School and considering the long-range needs of the school are some of the Board’s most important responsibilities.

The Board of Trustees of Catherine Cook comprises members of the school community— both current and former— who have demonstrated personal or professional experience in a variety of areas that are important to upholding the mission of the school, shaping its strategic future, and supporting the Head of School in their ongoing leadership of the school’s day-to-day operations. Occasionally, expertise from outside the community is invited onto the Board for a specific initiative or purpose. Board composition is evaluated annually as new members are nominated and existing members roll off upon completion of their terms. The average tenure of a trustee going forward is expected to be 4-7 years.

The Search Committee will review candidate resumes, select and interview semifinalists and finalists, and recommend to the Board of Trustees the candidate that they believe should be hired as the next Head of School. They were elected by the Board of Trustees with input from Educational Directions around the range of perspectives that are valuable to the process.

Faculty and staff are integral in selecting a new Head of School. All are encouraged to participate in the search process. Some are members of the Head of School Search Committee, while others may participate on a future Advisory Committee. All faculty and staff will have the opportunity to attend group sessions with the finalists and share their opinions with the Head of School Search Committee.

All community members, including parents, students, and families, are critical to this process. Everyone is encouraged to participate and will have the opportunity to meet with finalists when they come to campus. An opportunity to provide feedback on each finalist will be provided via a survey after each finalist visit.

Overseeing the search process and advising the Head of School Search Committee are Dr. Jerry Larson and Mr. Mike Murphy from Educational Directions, a nationally recognized consulting firm for independent schools and proven leader in Head of School and leadership searches. They are also retained to consult throughout the on-boarding and transition of the next Head of School.

Dr. Brogdon will continue in her current role as Head of School of Catherine Cook throughout the 2023-2024 school year. There will be many opportunities to celebrate her innumerable contributions to the school and community as the year unfolds and she will be instrumental in readying us for our next chapter. Two of her primary goals for the 2023-2024 school year are the completion of a facilities & grounds study and a comprehensive market, mission & enrollment study that will inform the priorities of the next Head of School. In addition, she will continue to be a champion of our student-centered educational practices and innovative learning design that make Catherine Cook a premier PS-8 school in Chicago.

The goal of the Head of School Search is to identify and hire a permanent Head of School for July 1, 2024. An Interim Head of School would only be considered if ideal candidates are not identified by the Head of School Search Committee from the pool of candidates presented by Educational Directions and/or if the ongoing strategic work of the Board, Dr. Brogdon, and the Administrative Team uncovers a specific set of objectives for an Interim Head of School.

The Head of School search process is already underway and is the top priority for the Board of Trustees and Educational Directions. Division Head searches typically run on a shorter timeline than Head of School searches, and we want to provide the Head of School-elect and Judy Wahl, Interim Head of Early Childhood, time to weigh in on the opportunity. Details on the Head of Early Childhood placement will be shared with the community in the winter/spring of 2024.

Feedback on individual finalists will be solicited via a survey after each finalist visit. If you wish to share the name of a great candidate, please email Dr. Jerry Larson at jerry.larson@edudx.com or Mr. Mike Murphy at mike.murphy@edudx.com.

This webpage will serve as an ongoing resource for the most up–to-date information about the search process. In addition, the Board will continue to provide email updates to the entire community after every Board Meeting and as new, significant information arises, such as progress in selecting semi-finalists and finalists and opportunities to meet with candidates. The Co-Chairs of the Head of School Search Committee will also provide brief updates at every Parent Association Meeting.

We encourage all members of the Catherine Cook community to participate in surveys and future meet-and-greets and to share your observations and opinions with members of the Head of School Search Committee. You will always be notified of opportunities to meet the candidates via email and on this webpage. Please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of the Head of School Search Committee for clarification around dates or feedback protocols.