New Head of School

Woodlands Academy Transitions to a

New Head of School

In her June 11 “farewell” email to Woodlands Academy faculty and staff, outgoing Head of School Meg Steele said, “It has been wonderful to get to know Dawn Nichols over the past weeks as we transition, and I am so excited about the future.” Steele was referring to her work with Dawn Nichols, Ed.D, preparing the way for the new head of school to take over July 1. This effort, plus Nichols’ prior knowledge of Woodlands Academy, set the stage for a smooth transition.

In announcing her one-year appointment, Board of Trustees Chair Mary Clare Pollard White said Nichols’ became familiar with Woodlands seven years ago in a very special way. “Dr. Nichols chaired the visiting committee for the school’s ISACS [Independent Schools Association of the Central States] accreditation,” Pollard White said. “Our school and the mission of Sacred Heart left a positive lasting impression on her, and she developed a genuine affection for Woodlands.” Pollard White describes Nichols as a highly successful educational leader who has worked in public, independent and Catholic schools.

Associate Head Christine Schmidt worked with Nichols on the school’s 2014 accreditation. “I found her to be an astute, dedicated and talented leader,” Schmidt said. “The report she and her team put together was foundational for many of the improvements we made in the subsequent seven years. I am thrilled she will be leading us into Woodland Academy’s next chapter.”

From 2016-2021 Nichols served as head of school at St. Michael’s Catholic Academy, a co-educational high school in Austin, Texas. During that time, she improved the school’s relationship with the diocese of Austin, stabilized enrollment and launched a successful capital campaign. Previously, she was head of school for 16 years at Visitation School in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, an independent Catholic all-girls school with students in grades 6 to 12. There she strengthened enrollment, was deeply involved in two successful capital campaigns, and dramatically increased the school’s endowment to more than $20 million. For several years, Nichols chaired the Board of Trustees for ISACS, the premier accrediting body for independent schools in the Midwest.

“I am thrilled to join the Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart community – one I know to be vibrant, dynamic and warm,” Nichols said. “The education the school provides to its students is exemplary, and I look forward to diving in and supporting the great work of the faculty and staff, administration, and board of trustees, all on behalf of the students.”

Steele, who served as Woodlands Academy’s head of school since 2015, left at the end of the 2020-21 term to become head of schools at Sacred Heart Schools on Sheridan Road. Looking back, Steele said she is proud to have overseen a period of much growth and development at Woodlands Academy.

With an eye firmly on the future, the Head of School Search Committee continues its work to find the next dynamic leader of Woodlands.