MOVING FORWARD Meet Brad Choyt The North Yarmouth Academy community was delighted to welcome new Head of School Brad Choyt to campus on July 1 when his tenure officially began. Following a nationwide search process chaired by Trustee Priscilla Savage and current parent Patty Bright, Choyt was selected as the new Head of School in October of 2010, but had to wait eight months before starting the job. During that time, he and his wife, novelist Charlotte Bacon, along with son Toby and daughter Thea, welcomed their third child, Isaiah who was born just days before Choyt was officially offered the position in Maine. “On a personal level, I am delighted to be here. It’s been a really good transition for my family. It was an easy move for the kids, and our son Toby really loves his sixth grade class at NYA,” said Choyt. “We all feel like this is a really good match.” Choyt is a native of New Hampshire and a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. He holds an AB from Brown University and a MFA from the University of Pennsylvania. He has eighteen years of independent school and nonprofit
experience in the United States and abroad. Rick Abbondanza, president of the Board of Trustees, said the Board is very pleased with the work that Choyt has already undertaken. “We’ve been very impressed with his ability to quickly identify with the community. He already exhibits a good sense of what NYA is all about,” he remarked. During his first five months on the job, Choyt has been busy meeting with many members of the NYA community and others who he hopes might be interested in partnering with NYA on future initiatives. “There are so many good conversations happening,” he said. “Everyone I’m meeting with has assisted in helping me really understand the core values at the heart of NYA.” Beginning with all current Trustees, Choyt has met one-on-one with faculty and staff members, parents, students, former trustees, alumni, grandparents and others.
N O R T H YA R M O U T H A C A D E M Y
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