In January 2012 Head of School Geoff Jones announced that he will be leaving Potomac at the end of the 2012-13 school year. Geoff will have served as Head for 13 years, guiding the completion of the academic phase of the Master Plan for Potomac. Under his leadership, the School expanded the school population, integrated our K-12 curricular and co-curricular programs, built a new Upper School, new Lower School and Flag Circle building (scheduled to be completed in Summer 2012).
Click here to read announcement letters from the Head of School and the Chair, Board of Trustees.
According to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the selection of a new head of school will be made by the Board of Trustees, with the advice and counsel of the Head Search Committee and with input from all members of our community, including faculty, administration, parents, students and alumni.
Search Committee
A Head Search Committee was convened by Board of Trustees Chair Larry Culp and charged with hiring a search consultant, inviting and considering input from the Potomac community throughout the search process, developing an ideal candidate profile, and assessing qualifications of and interviewing prospective candidates.
The following individuals will serve on the committee.
- Larry Culp, Chair, Board of Trustees
- John Delaney, Trustee
- Marjorie Brennan, Trustee
- Lynne O'Brien, Trustee
- Gregg Petersmeyer, Past Trustee
- David Langstaff, Past Trustee
Click here to read the Chair's letter to the community regarding the search process.
Search Consultants
In February Potomac retained Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A) to conduct the search. Potomac vetted over 20 national firms initially and conducted personal interviews and multiple references with five firms before selecting Carney, Sandoe. The firm has worked with over 1,500 schools across the country providing recruitment and search services, including more than 725 leadership searches for heads of independent and charter schools.
Senior consultants Earl Ball and Bob Fricker will conduct CS&A’s search for Potomac. Mr. Ball served as Head of School at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia from 1976-2007; Mr. Fricker has broad experience with colleges and universities, as well as independent schools, and led the search for Potomac Upper School Head Don Firke.
Community Input
The consultants will meet with groups of faculty, administrators, students, parents, trustees and alumni in an initial two-day visit to Potomac March 6-7, 2012, to get a sense of Potomac’s character, culture and community. In addition, the firm will solicit information from the broader Potomac community utilizing a web-based survey.