CHATHAM HALL August 7, 2018 Dear Chatham Hall Community, I’m writing to share with you that Rector Suzanne Buck recently let me know that, for family reasons, the 2018-19 school year will be her last at Chatham Hall. Suzanne Buck’s visionary and enthusiastic commitment to Chatham Hall has been outstanding. Thanks to her energetic leadership, the school stands solidly positioned for the future and the next phase of its growth as we continue in our mission to empower girls to better the world. It will be hard for us to say goodbye to Suzanne and her family in June, after the upcoming academic year. I speak on behalf of the Board of Trustees in saying that we are extremely grateful to Suzanne for the time she has given us and we completely understand her decision to be closer to her family. Her personal reasons for leaving notwithstanding, she has loved her time at Chatham Hall and has told us she is looking forward to this upcoming year and will remain committed to our efforts. Suzanne’s achievements at Chatham Hall are many. She has helped re-set the school’s path in a number of remarkable ways, including, overseeing an enrollment that has reached its highest level in 45 years; reinvigorating the administrative team; leading a more engaged faculty; and ensuring a happy and healthy student body – one that has been winning awards, too, including on the equestrian circuit and by the robotics team! Clearly, Suzanne has left a very positive mark on our school and we will continue to build on this solid foundation. In addition, Suzanne helped this last year’s Annual Fund reach a new, record high for the school and she has also led the development of a forward-looking, strategic plan that the Board and our new rector will carry on implementing and refining. As a leader, Suzanne has put together a strong team around her and shared her wisdom and talents generously. To aid our growth, she has worked with the Board to purchase new properties and renovate existing ones, all in accordance with our vision for Chatham Hall’s future. Suzanne has been a strong advocate of enhanced safety on campus and for making the wellness of the girls paramount, a commitment we will continue. She has also been a staunch advocate of our Episcopal heritage and our Honor Code, and those will always remain strong at Chatham Hall. In short, with Suzanne at the helm, your school is thriving, and while we will celebrate her accomplishments this coming year, we will also look forward to our search given the tremendous position the school is in to attract exceptional candidates. The Board of Trustees is charged with finding a new Rector, and we will build on this momentum as we move into the next chapter of leadership for Chatham Hall. We know this task is one of the most important ones we will take on, and will approach it with thoroughness and transparency. I am forming a Search Committee and our process will include opportunities for input from our community. We must acknowledge that in today’s environment the landscape for leadership at boarding schools has a much shorter cycle, with the majority of heads moving schools every 5-7 years. I am confident that Chatham Hall’s reputation and spirit will attract many qualified candidates, and we will succeed in finding another terrific leader for our school.
800 CHATHAM HALL CIRCLE CHATHAM, VIRGINIA 24531-3085 VOICE 434.432.2941 www.chathamhall.org