Q&A with Norwood’s New Board Chair

Checking in with Josh Spencer, Norwood’s New Board Chair

Josh Spencer has been a dedicated trustee since 2018, serving as vice chair of the board and chair of the Investment Committee during the 2019-2020 school year. He has been with T. Rowe Price since 2004 as an investment analyst and portfolio manager. Presently, he manages the T. Rowe Price New Horizons Fund. Josh also worked at Fidelity Investments in Boston. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in economics in 1994, Phi Beta Kappa honors. He also earned an M.A. in economics and an MBA with a concentration in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago. Josh worked in consulting for three years in Washington, D.C. before completing his MBA. He and his wife, April, are parents of Sam ’22 and Ben ’24.

What motivates you to serve as chair of Norwood’s Board of Trustees?

Norwood has been a wonderful school for my two sons, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for the talented and dedicated faculty and leadership. I have been honored to serve on the board, and as chair I am excited to continue our focus on the long-term success and sustainability of Norwood, so that children can benefit from a Norwood education for many years to come.

You are beginning your tenure at a challenging time. How would you describe your first few months as board chair?

These challenging times have served to highlight all of the dedication and creativity of the Norwood community, including teachers, administration, parents, and students. Everyone has adapted to a new style of learning and engagement. While this year will certainly be different, I am optimistic that it will still bring great opportunities for the children to learn and build resilience and adaptability.

What has been the board’s role during the pandemic?

The board has focused on a number of key priorities to help support Norwood through the pandemic. Trustees helped form and serve on the task forces that met throughout the summer to plan for the 2020-2021 school year. These included Health and Safety, Continuity of Learning, Finance, Human Resources, and an overall COVID-19 task force. The board has been working to make sure Matthew, the administration, and the faculty have all the resources they need to safely and thoughtfully deliver the wonderful Norwood education, whatever form it may take this year.

What are your short-term priorities?

In the short-term, the board is focused on two important priorities. The first is supporting Matthew and his team in the safe reopening of school as described above. The second is joining the work of the entire school community around diversity. The board has formed a task force centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion to engage with other independent school boards, study best practices, and make sure the Norwood School Board of Trustees is doing its part in supporting this important effort.

josh spencer, board chair: “These challenging times have served to highlight all of the dedication and

creativity of the Norwood

community, including teachers, administration, parents, and students.”

Board Chair Josh Spencer with wife April and sons Sam ’22, and Ben ’24.

In the longer-term, the board is also committed to achieving the last key milestone of the Our Children, Our Purpose Strategic Plan with the construction of The Marriott Early Childhood Building. The board also looks forward to engaging with the entire Norwood community as we embark on a new strategic planning process, hopefully later this school year.

What do you see as the School’s greatest challenges?

Norwood needs to meet the current moment with respect to diversity and inclusion. Norwood has a strong foundation of respect for diversity, but the School can and should always strive to do better.

And opportunities?

Norwood does so many things well— from academic excellence, to emotional support, to building resilience and selfadvocacy. The School is incredibly unique, and the children that attend Norwood will have the opportunity to become future leaders who will help guide our country and our world. As we remain focused on our mission, Norwood can flourish for years and decades to come.

What were your reasons for choosing Norwood for your children?

Norwood has a wonderful balance of strengths, across not only the core academic subjects but also the arts and athletics. Norwood is a place where we felt our sons could develop and learn in a supportive community and build the study habits, resilience, and self-advocacy that would serve them well into adulthood. When we first visited the School and met the eighth grade ambassadors, we were incredibly impressed with the poised and talented young adults they had grown into at Norwood.

Finally, how has distance learning been for your family?

Distance learning has shown the best of the creativity of our wonderful Norwood teachers. I have been so impressed with the faculty’s ability to deliver the entire curriculum in the distance mode during the early going of the 2020-2021 school year. We understand that it required extra effort on everyone’s part—including teachers, parents, and students—but we feel privileged to enjoy this wonderful education.