Head of School Announcement

Meet Christina Breen

List of 4 items.

What drew you to Laurel?

Initially, I had two incredible friends in college who are Laurel alumnae, so the seed had been planted then about the impact the school can have in fostering the growth of strong, bright and community-oriented young women. As I began to research the school last year, inspired by a more recent graduate, what became clear is Laurel’s incredible reputation at the forefront of research on girls, leading the conversation about how girls learn best and exemplifying the ways in which an all- girls education positions students to meet their growth edge with confidence. 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.

Given my lifelong love of the outdoors, I was struck by the unique offerings on the Butler Campus, and my expectations were surpassed after spending time in those incredible natural spaces. Distinctive opportunities abound on the Lyman Campus as well, where experiential learning and cross-curricular connections foster intentional learning, growing, and community building. I am holding with me snapshots of Laurel that have left a lasting impression, whether it be a row of lockers with yellow dry suits and bike helmets, a huddle of middle schoolers walking over the koi pond in the Garden Hallway, or the student leaders who sat with me at lunch and shared their hopes and dreams for themselves and Laurel with earnest conviction.

Laurel students, from the youngest to the oldest, love learning, choose kindness, and show each other grace. Laurel faculty and staff work tirelessly to provide excellent support and instruction but also meet their students where they are, honoring the learning process and making space for creativity and innovation. Laurel parent engagement was made plain to me during the interview process where the sheer number and quality of questions posed at the town hall reflected true investment. Laurel alumnae are loyal, passionate, and protective, and were able to articulate with clarity the experiences they had as students and their determination to ensure the long-term success of the school.

What lingers with me is the ways in which all of these people take responsibility for building community. It is a truly inspiring place, and I am thrilled to be joining Team Laurel!
What excites you most about moving to the Cleveland area and leading Laurel?

As a lifelong New Englander, I am so excited to explore a different part of our country, to take advantage of all that the greater Cleveland area has to offer in terms of its live theater, music, art, and metropark system. Cleveland feels like a welcoming city that will be fun to explore, with so many wonderful neighborhoods, and the idea of experiencing a Lake Erie sunset is exciting for me, since I’ve become accustomed to Atlantic Ocean sunrises! Shaker Heights, in particular, is a beautiful town, and I am so looking forward to integrating into the community. 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.
How have your background and experiences shaped your leadership philosophy?

I have had the unique opportunity to found an independent middle school and serve for many years at both a small and a large independent boarding high school. In my nearly three decades in education, I have worn every kind of hat, from college instructor, to coach, adviser, teacher, dorm parent, administrator, and trustee. My leadership philosophy has been honed by each of these professional experiences, culminating in this next chapter as Head of School at Laurel. At the center of this philosophy is a set of core beliefs that guide all that I do: I believe in students, in their ability to grow and evolve. I believe in building a school community where students are at the center, where adults want to spend time with and grow alongside them. I believe that it is our duty as educators to support and guide students so that they lean into challenges with curiosity and humility, prioritizing wellness. I believe that leaders in a school community must model a commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging, not simply through institutional statements but through policies and practices that promote inclusion. I believe that working with students is a source of joy. I intend to lead with compassion and warmth, with curiosity, and with transparency.
Tell us a bit about yourself outside the classroom and off campus.

I love to spend time with my family, with my husband, Jim, and three college-aged sons, (and with our two dogs, Java and Caddy–named after Cadillac Mountain in Maine). Their humor and energy fuels me and keeps me humble. I have seven siblings, and though we are scattered around the country, their love and friendship, along with the inspiration of my parents, brings so much support and laughter to my life. As an athlete, I enjoy playing sports, hiking, biking, and supporting other athletes of all ages in their pursuits. I am passionate about live theater and comedy, loving the power these events have to transport me to other times and places. Lastly, as a career English teacher, I really love nothing more than to read, across a variety of genres, though Toni Morrison is the GOAT!

- Ms. Breen's First Message to Students

Head of School Search Committee Announcements

List of 8 news stories.

Board of Trustees Selects Christina Breen to Lead Laurel
10/10/2024

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.

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Search Committee Post-Candidate Visit "Thank You"
9/16/2024

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.

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Search Committee Announces Fourth Candidate
8/30/2024

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!

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Second Update from the Search Committee
8/2/2024

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.

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Update from the Search Committee Co-Chairs Carey Jaros ’96 and Susan Shons Luria '85
6/14/2024

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.

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From the Search Committee Co-Chairs Carey Jaros ’96 and Susan Shons Luria '85
1/22/2024

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.

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A Message from Head of School Ann V. Klotz
1/16/2024

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.

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A Message from Board of Trustees Chair Megan Lum Mehalko '83
1/16/2024

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!

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