Head of School Brunswick School
The Leadership Opportunity
Courage, Honor, Truth
For more than 120 years, Brunswick School has been defined and distinguished by its unwavering commitment to ably and generously prepare boys for life, and by its founding principles of Courage, Honor, Truth. Based on a deep belief in the tremendous potential of boys, Brunswick’s educational experience emphasizes traditional learning and character development. Brunswick is dedicated to developing wellrounded young men and building in students the habits of mind that will nourish and fortify them for the rest of their lives, offering rigorous academics with exceptional strength in athletics and the arts. The school offers a range of unparalleled opportunities in which boys, through hard work and determination, turn possibility into accomplishment. With an average class size of 11, the Upper, Middle, Lower, and Pre Schools are set on four campuses over 179 acres in Greenwich, Conn. Students in each major division also travel to the school’s 650-acre campus in Randolph, Vt., for seminal, wilderness-education, and applied-classroom learning experiences. Brunswick’s Head of School should be inspired and energized by the opportunity to join a close-knit community and serve as Brunswick’s moral and intellectual leader. The next Head will personify the values and high standards of the school for the students, faculty, and greater community, and will relish the opportunity to nurture
and cultivate the scholarly, moral, physical, and personal growth of the students. With a relentless focus on always doing what is right for the boys, the new Head will continue to lead this exceptional institution, so fortunate to have outstanding programs and facilities, while embracing and enhancing school spirit, culture, and shared values. Of Brunswick’s many attributes, perhaps the most important is its committed and distinguished faculty and administration, who partner with the Head to inspire all members of the community. Together, they seek ways to strengthen the important traditions of the school while introducing opportunities for innovation that enhance its strong foundation and serve the evolving needs of the boys in an everchanging world.
BRUNSWICK SCHOOL: HEAD OF SCHOOL
With the heart and soul of an educator, a clear focus on excellence, and with the boys as the North Star for all decisions, the Head will set a tone of kindness, respect, hard work, and humility to permeate the school. The Head — like the faculty and staff of the school — will treasure the opportunity to be with the boys, leading all-school morning meetings, and attending athletic games, artistic events and performances, as well as club competitions. The Head will be a force in the lives of the boys, knowing their stories, appreciating their achievements, supporting their growth and struggles, always with an eye on helping them learn and grow. The Head’s commitment extends to the greater Brunswick School community, where the next leader will forge genuine connections with the families of the students, keep in close touch with alumni, and ensure that all remain devoted to this special place.
Appointed by the Board of Trustees, the Head is responsible for setting the school’s strategic priorities and uniting the community around the school’s mission. As the educational leader, the Head is responsible for the school’s overall program and its faculty; as an administrative officer, the Head is responsible for directing the faculty and staff, assuring the long-term financial and operational sustainability of the school. As the external face of the school, the Head represents the school with the alumni body, the parents, and the local and national education community. As a principal fundraiser, the Head welcomes the opportunity to forge strong relationships with donors. The Head serves as the primary leader and advocate for Brunswick’s values, internally and externally, with the community.
Key Responsibilities
The next Head of Brunswick School will:
f Exemplify and advocate at all times the principles of Courage, Honor, and Truth. Embody the purpose and values of the school and lead the faculty in upholding the standard of excellence across all facets of the school.
f Continue to attract, develop, lead, and retain an extraordinarily talented and diverse faculty, promoting among the faculty a culture that reflects Brunswick’s values of care, curiosity, intellect, hard work, and excellence.
f Maintain and strengthen a culture that honors traditional learning, self-discipline, and character development, in which students feel both challenged and supported as they develop good study habits and strong core values.
f Engage actively in the life of the campus. Be visible at important moments of the school, and perhaps more important, at everyday events.
f Be deliberate and have a clear vision. Maintain a steady hand and commitment to Brunswick’s foundational values amid shifting societal pressures.
f Exude and encourage the joy in learning and exploration Invest in the traditions that build the foundation for lifelong friendships.
f Communicate and foster strong, enduring relationships with current and past parents, alumni, and our co-educational partners at Greenwich Academy.
f Attract, lead, and empower a committed administrative team, and set high standards for all offices that provide critical support to the school’s operation.
f Manage the school’s assets wisely and lead fundraising, extending a sustainable financial path by aligning priorities with resources and making decisions based on short- and long-term financial forecasts.
f Cultivate an inclusive environment with an authentic appreciation for differences of all kinds.
f Develop a strong, productive partnership with the Board of Trustees.
HEAD
Ideal Candidate Attributes and Experiences
Educational Vision and Leadership
In a premier boys’ school dedicated to achieving excellence in all aspects of its program, the next Head will honor the long-standing traditions of the school while partnering with the faculty to explore new ways to enhance the education of boys. A thoughtful educator who embraces the school’s focus on developing, inspiring, and strengthening “the whole boy,” the Head will strive to provide a truly transformative experience for the students, one that develops their intellectual, physical, and emotional character. The leader will advance a strategic plan and set priorities that strengthen the experiences of the boys in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the arts spaces, and in the small but important daily moments of the school. Believing that a strong, engaged faculty as teachers, coaches, and mentors is the essence of the school, the Head will support and promote the recruitment and retention of an exceptional faculty, the professional development and continuous improvement of the school’s teachers, as well as identify and foster leadership within the faculty. The Head will encourage shared and thoughtful discussions about important issues of pedagogy and
curricula relevant to the teaching of boys, ensuring the school’s rigorous experiences continue to prepare students to lead healthy lives and contribute positively to the world.
A Community Leader
Beyond serving as the academic and institutional leader, the Head must fully embrace the opportunity to embody the values of the school and its community. With a strong desire to live and work in the center of this community, the Head will engage regularly with the boys and faculty, setting the expectation for mutual respect, hard work, and good fun and demonstrating an abiding commitment to integrity and outstanding character. The Head will be an inspiring speaker and writer, communicating with clarity of thought and delivery. The Head will delight in and appreciate daily conversations with faculty,
students, parents, and alumni, understanding that every discussion be it in the classroom, an assembly, the dining hall, or the athletic field is an opportunity to strengthen rapport and connections. In all interactions within the community and beyond, the Head will be fair, kind, diplomatic, and balanced.
A Strategic Leader and Manager
As the Head of a school with significant resources and high aspirations, the next Head will be a sophisticated leader and manager who understands the financial and operational levers of a school and brings sound judgment in setting priorities. A consultative leader, the Head will invite conversation, listen attentively, welcome debate, and then make decisions always in the best interest of the boys and the school.
The Head will be a team builder who has experience identifying, attracting, and retaining talent at all levels and managing and empowering those individuals to act in accordance with the school’s values. The Head will invest in developing strong relationships with the school’s Board of Trustees. Brunswick, like other strong schools, will need to wisely shepherd its assets, and the next Head will be a leader in developing and securing new resources.
About Brunswick School
For nearly 125 years, Brunswick has been defined and distinguished by its founder’s commitment to “ably and generously prepare boys for life” and by the founding Board Chairman’s clarion call to “Courage, Honor, Truth.” That call first came more than a century ago, at Brunswick’s second graduation ceremony, in 1906. William J. Hoggson, president of the four-yearold school and father of two Brunswick boys, chose to convey the newly constructed campus on Maher Avenue to founding Head George E. Carmichael. In extending the deed to Carmichael, Hoggson added this final exhortation:
“Take our boys, Mr. Headmaster, and teach them, if you will, Latin, Greek, mathematics, but above all else, teach them, I beg you, Courage, Honor, Truth.”
Today, these clarion words still resound in every Brunswick classroom, on every stage and playing field, in every office and hallway. They are constant reminders, inspiring all who work to fulfill our mission of building young men of character.
Brunswick’s educational experience emphasizes rigorous traditional learning, self-discipline, and character development. The school is dedicated to building in its students the habits of mind that will nourish and fortify them for the rest of their lives, offering rigorous academics, comprehensive athletics and arts, drama and music, and an extensive language program. With an average class size of 11, the Upper, Middle, Lower, and Pre Schools are now spread over four campuses encompassing more than 179 acres in Greenwich.
In addition, in 2017, Brunswick acquired its 650-acre Vermont Campus, and students in each major division now travel to Randolph, V t., for seminal, wilderness-education, and appliedclassroom learning experiences.
SCHOOL: HEAD OF SCHOOL
The last six years have been a time of great advancement for Brunswick — perhaps the most exceptional in its 124-year history:
f Shortly after securing its Vermont Campus, the school acquired 1275 King Street, now home to the Upper Middle School and the state-of-the art Carroll Track & Field Complex.
f In 2024, 270 Lake Avenue became the new home of both the Pre School and an extensive facultyhousing complex. In parallel, the entire Upper School has undergone a $52 million enhancement and reimagination. These notable milestones have been underscored, strengthened, and guided by the careful stewardship and thoughtful planning of the Board of Trustees and its Strategic Planning Committee, which has worked diligently and tirelessly to implement goals articulated in Brunswick’s 2019–2025 Strategic Plan. That plan deliberately and carefully capitalized on the truly extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime institutional opportunities and possibilities that had arisen.
Also of note: For more than 50 years, Upper School students from Brunswick and Greenwich Academy have been brought together for coeducational classes in a program called Coordination. Each school maintains its own, distinct philosophy and culture — one designed for boys, the other for girls — and each thrives independently. Through Coordination and the footpath that connects the campuses, the two schools extend their strengths and achieve even more in partnership.
Looking ahead, the school’s 2025–2030 Strategic Plan now offers a blueprint for Brunswick’s future. It acknowledges new challenges, opportunities, and possibilities of the 21st century, also reaffirming and recommitting to the four foundational priorities first articulated in the 2019–2025 plan: Brunswick’s students, its faculty, its community outreach, and its institutional strength.
In the process, Brunswick has only strengthened its unwavering commitment to the value of a broad, rigorous, and traditional education — one that “stays the course” in comprehensive engagement of mind and body, and in the building of character through steadfast adherence to the school’s historic mandate.
Today and into the future, above all else, the tenets of Courage, Honor, Truth remain the cornerstone of Brunswick’s commitment and dedication to each and every Brunswick boy.
BRUNSWICK SCHOOL: HEAD OF SCHOOL
The Search Process
The Search Committee has retained the executive search firm Spencer Stuart to support the search for the next Head of School. If you wish to submit an application or nominate a candidate for this position, please send an email message with supporting materials to BrunswickHOS@SpencerStuart.com. Nominations will be treated confidentially.
Brunswick School will not, at any time, discriminate against any person with regard to employment by reasons of race, color, religion, national origin, age, gender, or sexual orientation or other categorizations protected by Connecticut or Federal Law.
PREPARED BY:
Mary Gorman
Michele Haertel
Meaghan Becker
Assignment: 62747-002
www.spencerstuart.com
