About

Head of School Search

Board of Trustees Selects Christina Breen to Lead Laurel

October 10, 2024
Dear Laurel Community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Search Committee, we are delighted to announce that Christina Breen has been selected to serve as Laurel’s eleventh Head of School, effective July 1, 2025.  After a robust search and vetting process, including the review of extensive input from the Laurel Community, Ms. Breen was recommended to the Board of Trustees by the Search Committee, who unanimously voted to appoint her Laurel’s next Head of School. 
This is a milestone moment in Laurel’s illustrious 129-year history, and we want to thank everyone—parents, students, alums, faculty and staff and friends of Laurel—who participated in the search process over the course of the last nine months. It was critically important to the Search Committee, from the outset, to follow well-established best practices for independent schools, running a transparent search where all voices were heard and valued at each key step in the process.
As you may know, there are many active head searches currently taking place at fine schools across the country. The quality and enthusiasm of the more than fifty candidates who applied for our Head of School position speaks to Laurel’s national (and international) reputation for academic excellence, innovation, and leadership in girls education.  This reputation was only reinforced by firsthand, memorable interactions with alumnae, faculty and staff, and other Laurel community members.
What became abundantly clear, not only to the Search Committee, but also to all who had the opportunity to meet Ms. Breen, virtually or in person, is that she possesses the experience, skills, knowledge and personal qualities that we as a community outlined in our Leadership Profile as being “essential.” She will bring to Laurel a breadth of independent school experience, from her own days as a graduate of Phillips Andover, as a founder of a middle school and as a teacher, coach and member of leadership at one of the top independent schools in the nation. 
Ms. Breen comes to Laurel from Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. As Associate Dean of Student Life at Exeter, she conducted a campus-wide strategic plan, designed and implemented the Student Leadership Training program, managed aspects of the student conduct system and co-designed and implemented the Advising Curriculum. With a commitment to attending to the needs of all children, she founded Fight Club, a student grief support group, and launched a national campaign for college admission directors raising awareness about applicants who have experienced loss. 
A longtime English instructor, she has served on key campus life committees and chaired the faculty agenda committee which acts as liaison between faculty and Exeter’s administration. She is the recipient of the Daniel E. Koshland, Jr., Distinguished Faculty Award (twice), the Rupert Radford Faculty Fellowship Award and the Graves Family Teaching and Innovation Award. 
Ms. Breen received her undergraduate degree in English from Tufts University, where she also played varsity lacrosse. She coached the nationally ranked varsity lacrosse team at Exeter to ten consecutive winning seasons and founded the Captain’s Council Student Leadership Program. Prior to Exeter, she was a lecturer in English at the University of Vermont, an instructor in English at St. Mark’s School and the founder and administrator of Heronfield Academy, where she led the buildings and grounds, development and pedagogy committees, designed curriculum, served as director of admissions, chaired the accreditation process and helped to guide two strategic planning processes. She holds two master’s degrees, from the Universities of Vermont and New Hampshire respectively, and will soon complete her third in independent school leadership as a Klingenstein Scholar at Columbia University. 
In enthusiastically accepting the position, Ms. Breen shared how excited she is in carrying on the legacy that started with our founder, Jennie Prentiss, in 1896. “The simplicity and power of the Laurel mission, to inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world, has embedded within it the belief in the potential of every Laurel girl to nurture her passions, to care for her community, and to try new things with the knowledge that she will be supported every step of the way,” she remarked. “I am thrilled about this opportunity to lead Laurel, to honor the traditions that have made Laurel so successful, and to partner with the community to steward the school’s strategic vision moving forward.” 
While much has evolved at Laurel since those first days in Miss Prentiss’ mother’s living room in downtown Cleveland, the heart of who we are—the finest girls school in Cleveland, committed to knowing and caring for each student and preparing her for the world she will inherit and which she will better through fulfilling her own promise—remains our constant.  
We look forward to welcoming Christina Breen next summer. Until then, we will continue to celebrate not only all the small and major moments and achievements that typically punctuate a school year but, of course, our own Ann V. Klotz as she concludes her remarkable and transformative headship.

Warmly,

Signature: Ann V. Klotz



Megan Lum Mehalko '83
Board of Trustees Chair

 

Signature: Carey Jaros '96


Carey Jaros ’96
Board Vice-Chair and
Search Committee Co-Chair

Signature: Susan Shons Luria '85



Susan Shons Luria ’85
Board Secretary and
Search Committee Co-Chair
 
 

Head of School Search Committee

  • Carey Jaros ’96, Board Vice-Chair and Search Committee Co-Chair (Frances ’28, Eloise ’30, Madeline ’33 Farmery)
  • Susan Shons Luria ’85, Board Secretary and Search Committee Co-Chair (Margot ’20, Elena ’21)
  • Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93, former Board Chair/Trustee Emerita
  • Karen McCartan DeSantis ’79, Board Member
  • David Fleshler, former Board Member (Tamar ’13, Talia ’15)
  • Neeti Sundaresh ’95, LSPA Co-President (Meera ’31, Anika ’33, Kai ’38)
  • Megan Lum Mehalko ’83, Board Chair (Kristen ’17)

FAQ

List of 10 frequently asked questions.

  • Q. What is the general timeline for the Head of School search?

    The search process essentially consists of three phases.

    In the first phase, the Educators Collaborative consultants get to know Laurel through conversations with the Search Committee, the Board of Trustees, the administration and faculty, parents, alums, and students; through a community survey; and through reviewing data and documents provided by the school. This enables the consultants to develop a leadership profile for Laurel’s next Head of School. Simultaneously, the consultants publicize the leadership opportunity and begin their outreach to prospective candidates.

    The second phase takes place almost exclusively behind the scenes and is highly confidential, as the Educators Collaborative consultants recruit and do the initial vetting of candidates through interviews and reference checks. While any qualified candidate will be considered up until the completion of the search, interested candidates will be asked to contact Pilar and Nat before a deadline that will be established soon, so that their candidacies can be appropriately vetted.

    In the final phase, the Search Committee becomes very engaged, learning more about candidates whom the consultants have put forward for consideration, conducting preliminary confidential interviews, selecting the finalists, and assuring that the finalists’ visits to Laurel are successful. During the finalists’ visits, members of the community will meet with each of the candidates and provide detailed feedback through the search consultants to the Search Committee for consideration in determining which individual will be recommended to the Board of Trustees for approval. The work of the Search Committee concludes when it presents its nomination of the candidate of choice to the Board of Trustees.

  • Q. Why is Laurel announcing the search for a new Head now, more than a year in advance?

    In the world we live in now, many schools follow this timeline, and an 18-month process is typical for a school of our stature. It also means that Laurel will be able to secure the best possible candidate who may need the longer runway to fulfill personal and professional commitments and prepare for a new position.

  • Q. What is the role of the School's Board of Trustees in the search process?

    The Head of School is the only employee who is hired by and reports directly to the Board of Trustees, and, as a result, choosing a new Head of School is one of the Board’s most important responsibilities.

    As the search process draws to completion, the Board will review the recommendations of the Search Committee, formally resolve to pursue a candidate, bear responsibility for negotiating any terms of employment, and ultimately appoint the new Head of School.

  • Q. What is the role of the Search Committee in the search process?

    The Board has charged the Search Committee with conducting a comprehensive, national, and international search for our new Head of School. The Search Committee takes the lead in the search process and is charged with selecting a candidate for Head of School to recommend to the Laurel Board of Trustees, which bears the ultimate responsibility for appointing the Head of School.
     
    The Search Committee is co-chaired by Board Secretary Susan Luria ’85 (Margot ’20, Elena ’21) and Board Vice-Chair Carey Jaros ’96 (Frances ’28, Eloise ’30, Madeline ’33 Farmery). Members of the committee are Board member Karen McCartan DeSantis ’79, former Board Chair and Trustee Emerita Lynnette Jackson Crenshaw ’93, former Board member David Fleshler (Tamar ’13, Talia ’15), LSPA Co-President Neeti Sundaresh ’95 (Meera ’31, Anika ’33, Kai ’38) and Board Chair Megan Lum Mehalko ’83 (Kristen ’17).

  • Q. What is the role of Educators Collaborative, the search firm, and how were they selected?

    A sub-group of the Board of Trustees conducted broad research on national search firms, reviewed proposals and conducted initial and follow-up interviews. Following reference checks, the group unanimously recommended to the Board of Trustees the selection of Educators Collaborative.

    Educators Collaborative is a nationally known search consulting firm, specializing in finding heads and senior leaders for independent schools. Nat Conard and Pilar Cabeza de Vaca have been engaged to assist with the search. Nat and Pilar have both had many years of experience in independent school leadership, and collectively they have assisted numerous schools with head and senior administrator searches. They are also familiar with Laurel, having recently partnered with the school in its search for Laurel’s Assistant Heads.

    Pilar and Nat will provide guidance to the Search Committee on format, logistics, procedures, and best practices in the search process. In addition, they will recruit and interview candidates, check references, and support the Search Committee throughout the interview process. Educators Collaborative also will provide transition support to the new Head of School after that person has been hired and throughout the new Head’s first year.

  • Q. What is the scope of the search?

    The search for the new Head of School for Laurel is international in scope. Candidates from throughout the United States and abroad will be considered, and nominations are welcome. The consultants also devote considerable effort to recruiting candidates who might not be actively seeking a new position. Many candidates will not want it known at their current institutions that they are considering a change, and for this reason we must maintain strict confidentiality about individual candidates right up until the finalist stage of the process.

  • Q. Will there be any internal candidates?

    All candidates, both internal and external, who are interested in the opportunity to be the next Head of Laurel are encouraged to apply.

    To every extent possible, the Search Committee will attempt to create a level playing field, ensuring that the eventual nominee as Head-Elect is assessed in the context of the entire field of candidates. In addition, the confidentiality of internal candidates is as important as that of candidates from outside the school.

  • Q. How will candidates be evaluated?

    Candidates will be assessed based upon the skills and characteristics identified by the community and described in the leadership profile in the Information for Candidates report. Those skills and characteristics will be drawn from the survey responses and listening sessions conducted by the Educators Collaborative consultants. With the assistance of the consultants, the Search Committee will go through a series of steps to acquaint themselves with the pool of candidates before narrowing that group down to a group of semi-finalists who will be confidentially interviewed, and then to a smaller group (likely three or four) of finalists. The Search Committee’s evaluation of the finalist candidates will be informed by input from members of the community who will meet with the candidates when they are on campus.

  • Q. How can I be involved in the Head of School search process?

    The Board of Trustees is committed to making the search process as inclusive as possible and is providing opportunities for input from members of the Laurel community at various times throughout the process.

    The first opportunity is when members of the school community will be invited to share their thoughts about the school and the search through a confidential online survey administered by Educators Collaborative consultants in late January 2024. The survey closes on January 31.

    Then, when the search consultants from Educators Collaborative visit campus early in February 2024, they will conduct listening sessions to learn more about Laurel’s strengths, the opportunities facing the school over the next several years, and the traits, skills, and experience desired in the next Head of School. Members of the faculty and staff, alums, parents, and students will be invited to participate in these sessions.

    Finally, as the search nears its conclusion, members of the school community will have an opportunity to meet the finalist candidates and provide feedback on their impressions of each one.

  • Q. When will the new Head of School begin?

    The person selected by the Board of Trustees will officially become Laurel School’s Head of School on July 1, 2025. Until that time, Ann V. Klotz will continue to lead the school as she has done so ably for the last 20 years. We anticipate that there will be opportunities during the 2024-25 school year when the Head-Elect will be on campus and have a chance to learn more about the school, but it is a high probability that the selected individual will have ongoing professional responsibilities elsewhere.

Search Committee Announcements

List of 8 news stories.

  • Board of Trustees Selects Christina Breen to Lead Laurel

    Dear Laurel Community,
    On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Search Committee, we are delighted to announce that Christina Breen has been selected to serve as Laurel’s eleventh Head of School, effective July 1, 2025.  After a robust search and vetting process, including the review of extensive input from the Laurel Community, Ms. Breen was recommended to the Board of Trustees by the Search Committee, who unanimously voted to appoint her Laurel’s next Head of School. 

    This is a milestone moment in Laurel’s illustrious 129-year history, and we want to thank everyone—parents, students, alums, faculty and staff and friends of Laurel—who participated in the search process over the course of the last nine months. It was critically important to the Search Committee, from the outset, to follow well-established best practices for independent schools, running a transparent search where all voices were heard and valued at each key step in the process.

    As you may know, there are many active head searches currently taking place at fine schools across the country. The quality and enthusiasm of the more than fifty candidates who applied for our Head of School position speaks to Laurel’s national (and international) reputation for academic excellence, innovation, and leadership in girls education.  This reputation was only reinforced by firsthand, memorable interactions with alumnae, faculty and staff, and other Laurel community members.
    Read More

  • Search Committee Post-Candidate Visit "Thank You"

    Dear Laurel Community,
    On behalf of the entire Search Committee, we would like to extend our deepest gratitude for your time spent engaging with our four Head of School finalists during their visits over the past two weeks. We recognize this investment of time and effort was significant, whether you joined us in person or virtually. Our search consultants shared with us that the attendance and engagement at the Town Halls and in the alum webinars far exceeded that of typical head searches—a tribute to the love, care and investment in the future that the Laurel community has for our school.

    Each finalist expressed genuine appreciation for the warm and gracious reception she received, as well as for the meaningful conversations shared with so many of you. We heard repeatedly from the finalists how remarkable Laurel is—from assets such as our powerful curriculum, LCRG and Butler, to our poised and engaging students, to our brilliant, committed and caring faculty, to alumnae, parents, and other stakeholders who shared what this school means to them. Seeing the extraordinary dedication to and passion for Laurel’s mission that permeates every corner of our community had a huge impact on them. While it was a busy two weeks, we hope you were all energized, too, by being together in service of our wonderful school.
    Read More

  • Search Committee Announces Fourth Candidate

    Dear Laurel Community,
    As we head into the long weekend we have an exciting update to share with you. Earlier this week, the Head of School Search Committee completed interviewing the slate of remarkable semifinalists, each of whom spoke passionately about their commitment to furthering Laurel’s mission and how their experiences, talents and vision align with the Leadership Profile we developed with input from our community.

    Our original intention had been to narrow our focus from ten semi-finalists to three finalists, but after considerable discussion due to the competitive caliber of the pool, the Committee has identified four outstanding candidates whom we will move forward in this process and bring to our Campuses over the next two weeks. We could not be more excited for you to meet them! 
    Read More

  • Second Update from the Search Committee

    Dear Laurel School Community,
    We hope you are all having a wonderful summer! It’s amazing that the next school year is almost here, with our Upper School athletes already starting pre-season this week.
     
    We continue to make great progress in our search for Laurel’s next Head of School and are excited to provide an update.

    In mid-July, our consultants at Educators Collaborative, Pilar Cabeza de Vaca and Nat Conard, presented the Search Committee with the dossiers of an extremely impressive and diverse group of candidates to consider. Each of these candidates was well-aligned with the Leadership Profile that was developed using invaluable input from the Laurel community, and each was vetted by Pilar and Nat.
    Read More

  • Update from the Search Committee Co-Chairs Carey Jaros ’96 and Susan Shons Luria '85

    Dear Laurel School Community,
    It’s hard to believe the end of the school year is here. While it’s a hectic time, beautiful weather and many of the fun end-of-year traditions, athletic competitions, and performances made for a wonderful May and beginning of June on both Campuses. Now that students and faculty have dispersed, we wanted to provide an update on the Head of School search process and give you a sense of what to anticipate in the coming months.

    We are thrilled to share with you that our Laurel head search has attracted a great deal of interest from a diverse and highly qualified group of candidates, even exceeding our search consultants’ optimistic outlook at the beginning of the process! Laurel’s exceptional national (and even international) reputation has been a significant and compelling draw. Interest in the position has been very strong – both among educational leaders who have seen the opportunity posted and among the candidates to whom our consultants, Pilar and Nat, have reached out, many of whom were not otherwise looking to make a move. Candidates in the pool have backgrounds in independent schools, both co-ed and all girls, in higher education, in public schools, and in international schools. The pool is diverse by nearly every measure. Of the more than 50 candidates who have been considered thus far, the majority are well aligned with the Leadership Profile that was developed based on all our collective input, to describe the ideal next Head of School.
    Read More

  • From the Search Committee Co-Chairs Carey Jaros ’96 and Susan Shons Luria '85

    Dear Members of the Laurel Community,
    As Board Chair Megan Lum Mehalko ’83 mentioned in her letter to the community acknowledging Ann V. Klotz’s upcoming retirement, we write as the Co-Chairs of the Head of School Search Committee to provide more information about the plans the Board of Trustees has developed to identify and recruit the next Head of School, who will start on July 1, 2025.

    The Board of Trustees, which has the ultimate responsibility for selecting the next Head of School, has appointed a Search Committee to conduct and manage the search process for our school’s next leader. The Board also has retained Educators Collaborative (EC) to assist us with our search. EC has conducted over 1,000 successful head of school searches since its founding in 1971. Leading our project will be Nat Conard, Co-Managing Partner of the firm, and his partner Pilar Cabeza de Vaca. Both have served as heads of independent schools and are well known and respected by educators throughout the country. Pilar and Nat both feel that Laurel School presents an exceptionally attractive professional opportunity that will draw an excellent pool of candidates.
    Read More

  • A Message from Head of School Ann V. Klotz

    Dear Laurel Community,
    What a wonderful time I have had leading Laurel School. During my first visit in the fall of 2003, I knew this was the school I hoped to serve. Today, I write to tell you that I will retire in June 2025. It has been my privilege to lead the finest girls’ school in the nation over the past twenty years.

    Laurel has an exceptional faculty and staff, wonderful parents, wise trustees, formidable alums, and girls and little boys who fill my heart with joy. We are a school that strives to live our mission and values. As I think back over my tenure, memories of beloved ceremonies and traditions swim up: all-school assemblies when we gather in the Tippit Gym, Junior Chapel, Song Contest, Green & White Day, and Commencement. I feel a thrill at the hush in the Chapel that precedes every Senior Speech, a surge of happiness when I watch our enthusiastic fans cheer on Gators in every sport. When the little ones come Trick or Treating to Lyman House or stop to admire Seth’s annual holiday lawn display, I smile. I recall, too, the difficult moments that our community has endured together with grace and resilience.

    For me, school has always been about relationships and community. Learning is fundamental, of course, but so much that happens in and beyond the classroom is the result of connection and curiosity. I am glad to have been a teaching head, to have taught English and directed plays and advised a cohort of Seniors, to have shared in the day-to-day work of school with my colleagues on the faculty and staff. I love greeting children as they spill from their cars in the morning and visiting with our older girls, who come to my office for a piece of candy and a quick chat. To have  mentored men and women who have gone on to lead other schools has been an honor—their success is glory to Laurel. When colleagues from other schools visit to find out more about Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls or our programming at Butler, I feel enormous pride. And I am filled with gratitude for those whose generosity has allowed us to renovate and build and dream.
    Read More

  • A Message from Board of Trustees Chair Megan Lum Mehalko '83

    Dear Laurel Friends,
    With profound gratitude for her leadership, the Board of Trustees has accepted Ann V. Klotz’s decision to retire at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. Laurel’s mission to inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world was articulated by Ann and affirmed by the Board early in her headship. That mission has been Ann’s guiding light throughout her time at Laurel.

    In 2004, when Ann came to Laurel with her young family, the Board of Trustees charged her with developing a curricular vision for what was then called the Fairmount Campus. The transformation of the now 150-acre Butler Campus into an experiential learning environment unlike any other in Northeast Ohio, while fully respecting our role as stewards of the land, is remarkable. Thanks to the generosity of donors who believed in Laurel and in Ann’s vision and leadership, Butler is home to amazing spaces that support a robust Outdoor Prekindergarten, Grades 3-5 and the Environmental Justice Semester, as well as many Laurel athletes. And there is more to come with the Ruhlman Family Center under construction very soon!
    Read More

Head of School Job Description

List of 1 items.

  • ABOUT THE POSITION

    From the Educators Collaborative website:*
    The next Head of School at Laurel will have the opportunity to build on a foundation of more than a century of extraordinary education for girls, and on the legacy of 21 years of visionary and innovative leadership provided by Ann Klotz, who became Head in 2004. Working with a dynamic and professional Board of Trustees, composed of current and past parents and alumnae, the next Head of Laurel will be an accomplished educational leader who is passionate about girls’ education and committed to a philosophy of continual growth and improvement.
    Read More

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