Rob Lake Named New Head of School

Dear Friends of Head-Royce School,

We are very pleased to announce that the Board of Trustees has appointed Robert Lake as our next Head of School, effective July 1, 2010. Rob comes to us from the Wilmington Friends School in Wilmington, Delaware, where he has been Head of the Upper School since 2005.

This appointment is the culmination of an extensive and thorough search, reviewing many candidates from schools throughout the U.S. and abroad. The Board reached a unanimous decision to appoint Rob to this position in support of a very strong recommendation from the Search Committee, which considered a number of highly qualified candidates for the role. We are gratified that we were able to attract such a high caliber group of individuals. This is a reflection both of the stature of Head-Royce in the national and international independent school community, as well as the very high regard with which Paul Chapman is held in these circles.

Rob brings an impressive background in independent school education. The son of two educators, Rob attended Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts and received his undergraduate degree in English Literature at Williams College in 1991, where he was also a star athlete. He later received his Master’s degree from Dartmouth in an interdisciplinary study in English and History. He began his career in teaching in 1992 and over the years has served as Director of Financial Aid, Associate Director of Admissions, Dean of Students and Head of the Upper School. Rob also has coached soccer, lacrosse, tennis and golf. Throughout his career as an administrator he has continued to teach both History and English. He also brings a background in finance, having been a credit analyst at Bank of Boston earlier in his career.

Rob is a visionary and charismatic leader, bringing a passion to his work that was evident to all who met him during his visit to Head-Royce. He is highly committed to the mission and values of our school, is a person of high personal integrity, and is passionate about instilling in our children the joy of learning and an ambition for excellence.

We also are so pleased to welcome Rob’s wife, Heather, and two boys, Casey and Tucker, to the school. Heather comes from the independent education world herself, having served in a variety of roles including Academic Dean, Associate Director of Admissions, and teacher of French and art history for the past twenty years. The boys will enroll at Head-Royce in grades 3 and 6 next year. Rob and Heather are deeply committed to raising their family in our Bay Area community.

In accepting his appointment as Head of School, Rob said: “From the outset, I was so impressed with the School’s continuity of vision and mission. Everyone I met was both deeply proud of Head-Royce’s history and ambitious about its future. The positive energy in the community was universal and palpable. For this, I am grateful. To envision leading one of the premier K-12 schools in the country, in a community of educators that shares my enthusiasm for preparing young people for their futures, is both exhilarating and inspiring.”

As Co-Chairs of the Search Committee, we want to thank the members of the Committee who put in long hours over many months in this effort, as well as our Board of Trustees who supported us along the way. We are also grateful for the very good work by our search consultants, Carney Sandoe.

Finally, we thank the Head-Royce community—our faculty, administrators, parents, staff, students and alumni—for your turnout to meet the candidates on campus, as well as your very thoughtful and insightful comments which helped us greatly in our deliberations.

We are mindful of the importance of this decision for the community after 26 years of exceptional leadership by Paul Chapman and look forward to welcoming Rob and his family to Head-Royce this coming summer.

Sincerely,

Charles Freiberg
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

Lee Hanson
Former Chair, Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee