March 27, 2025

from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

Mark your calendars for Coffee with the Candidate for Lower School parents for April 7, 8, and 9 from 8-9 AM in the MPA Gallery. Each date will feature a different Lower School director candidate. 

I’m writing to share an update on the search for MPA’s next Lower School director—an important process that continues to move forward with great momentum and care. First, thank you to all who participated in the community survey. Your input was incredibly valuable in helping to further shape the direction of our search. The position was officially posted on both the Carney, Sandoe & Associates website and MPA’s own site in February. Since then, our search consultant, John Faubert, has fielded interest from a strong pool of candidates while also actively recruiting national and international candidates and conducting initial screening interviews throughout early March.

Over spring break, Dr. Brogdon and I reviewed the dossiers of the most promising candidates, as identified by John. After thoughtful evaluation, we invited a select group to participate in first-round interviews with our Search Advisory Committee, which includes Lower School faculty (nominated by their peers) and administrators. These virtual interviews are taking place this week and will continue into early next week. Following these interviews, three finalists will be invited to campus for full-day visits on April 7, 8, and 9. Each candidate will participate in:

• a second interview with the Search Advisory Committee;
• a student-led campus tour;
• a meeting with the administrative team;
• conversations with Lower School faculty, staff, and students; and
• a morning “Coffee with the Candidate” for Lower School parents, held from 8-9 AM in the Gallery.

To protect confidentiality, the names of the finalists will be shared with the Lower School community on the morning of each visit. Your feedback will play an important role in the final decision-making process, and I encourage you to attend the parent coffee sessions if you’re able.

My goal is to announce the next Lower School director by the end of April, with a formal start date of July 1, 2025. As always, this timeline may shift slightly depending on the candidate pool and other logistics, and I’ll keep you informed of any changes as they arise.

I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the members of the Search Advisory Committee for their time, insight, and dedication to this process. And thank you, too, for your engagement and support. With your partnership, I am confident we will select a leader who is a perfect match for our exceptional Lower School community.