Head of School Search
Paul J. Stellato, Head of School of Princeton Day School since 2008, will step down in June, 2023, at the conclusion of his 15th year as Head of School, the Board of Trustees has announced. The Board has engaged the firm of Spencer Stuart to conduct the search for the new Head of School. The Princeton Day School Search Committee is chaired by Ashley Aitken-Davies, Princeton Day School parent and trustee. Please review the updates and other announcements below, as well as FAQs about the search process.
Updates from Chair of Head of School Search Committee
May 17, 2022
Dear Princeton Day School Community,
The Head of School Search Committee has been busy and productive over the past two months, and we are delighted to share an update on our progress. As we had hoped and expected, the PDS Head of School position has proven to be highly attractive, and we received robust interest from an extremely strong pool of candidates.
Over the course of March, we worked closely with our search consultant, Spencer Stuart, to review the candidate packages, including resumes and supporting materials. From this initial long list, we selected a group of highly qualified and diverse candidates to advance to first round interviews. The group of first round candidates had an impressive range of leadership roles and experiences across top national independent schools, higher education and public education institutions. The interviews were conducted virtually in mid-April and were overwhelmingly positive.
Following completion of these interviews, the Search Committee unanimously agreed to progress three candidates to second round interviews. All three of these candidates have excellent academic credentials, proven track records of success as both faculty members and administrators at well-regarded independent schools, and a clear passion for the pursuit of excellence.
During the first half of May, the Search Committee engaged in a series of in-person interviews, case study presentations and social activities with each of the three second round candidates. We used these sessions to evaluate the candidates in the context of the requirements identified through the PDS community outreach process conducted between December 2021 and February 2022, and summarized in the letter we sent in February.
As we look to complete our assessment of these exceptional individuals, we will continue to be guided by the clear direction we received from the PDS community and the charge from the Board of Trustees to “engage in a thoughtful, thorough process to identify, assess and ultimately recruit and recommend the best possible candidate for the Board to consider as the next Head of Princeton Day School.” We look forward to sharing more news with you very soon.
Head of School Search Committee
Email: PDSHOS@SpencerStuart.
Ashley Aitken-Davies, Chair
Trustee, Middle School and Lower School Parent
Christopher Bobbitt
Trustee, Upper School and Middle School Parent
Beth Geter-Douglass ‘82
Trustee, Alumna, Alumna Parent
Caroline Lee
Upper School Faculty, Community Multicultural Development Team Chair
Cynthia Linville
Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Alumnae Parent
Amanda Maher
Trustee, Middle School and Lower School Parent
Angharad Rebholz
Middle School Faculty, Sixth Grade Dean
Aaron Schomburg
Lower School Faculty, Alumnae Parent
Jacob Silverman ‘89
Treasurer of the Board of Trustees, Alumnus
Previous Updates and Announcements
Update from Chair of Head of School Search Committee 02/22/2022
Head of School Position and Candidate Specifications
Update from Chair of Head of School Search Committee 01/18/2022
Update from Chair of Head of School Search Committee 01/05/2022
Message from Chair of Head of School Search Committee 12/17/2021
Letter from Head of School Paul J. Stellato and Board Chair Rebecca W. Bushnell '70 12/01/2021
Remarks from Behr House 12/01/21 (video)
Meet the Search Committee

Ashley Aitken-Davies

Christopher Bobbitt

Beth Geter-Douglass
Class of 1982

Caroline Lee

Cindy Linville

Amanda Maher
Angharad Rebholz

Aaron Schomburg

Jacob Silverman
Class of 1989
Head of School Search Process: FAQs
- Who is leading the search process?
- What is the role of the Search Committee?
- Who is on the Search Committee?
- What was the criteria for selecting the members of the Search Committee?
- What role did diversity play in the formation and selection of the Search Committee?
- What is the role of Spencer Stuart, the search firm?
- What is the timeline of the search process?
- How can members of the Princeton Day School community participate in the search process?
- What is the role of the current Princeton Day School Head?