A new chapter begins at Gordon

Dear Gordon Family,

Today, July 1st, might be a typical summer day for you, but it is a major milestone for me.

I am thrilled that this day marks the official beginning of my tenure as Gordon’s new Head of School, a role I have been working towards my entire professional career, and one that I embrace with arms and heart wide open.

I first got to know Gordon through its reputation as a legendarily smart, committed, and effective presence in the independent school community. Gordon was doing the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion long before that phrase became an acronym, and it was producing graduates with the academic skills and the moral authenticity that allowed them to become leaders in their high schools and colleges, their careers, and their communities.

My experience during the Head of School search process revealed a depth of commitment that was undeniable and magnetic. In an increasingly complex world, this was a school that understood its mission clearly and executed it well and with joy. In May of 2024, I enthusiastically accepted Gordon's offer to join this community, and thus began fourteen months of emails, meetings, Zoom calls, campus visits, and long-distance planning.

In my many conversations with faculty and staff, alumni, students, and parents and caregivers, I have heard people repeatedly talk about this school and its mission as a touchstone and a refuge, a home base for a community that is working hard to change the world for the better. Families come here to be inspired and recharged by the excitement of the first day of school and the magic of an eighth grade commencement, but they also rely on Gordon for their daily sustenance when the world beyond Maxfield Avenue is challenging.

The Gordon School offers comfort, and it offers clarity. As I wrote to parents and caregivers in May, "you are making the world a better place, simply by being at Gordon. Your participation in the Gordon community is a radical and powerful act, one that takes unabashed pride in diversity, lifts up the excellence of an intentionally inclusive education, and serves as a loud, proud model for other institutions."

That is the kind of home that István and I have chosen for ourselves, and it is one I promise to sustain for you and your families in the years ahead—because I have already fallen in love with Gordon.

I know that it will be important to leave room for surprises as we embark on this journey together. Yet I know for certain that there are important things we will do in the years ahead. We are going to stand firm in our mission during a time of intense political scrutiny and social confusion. We are going to stabilize Gordon's financial foundation to ensure that this school is thriving for another one hundred and fifteen years, and beyond. We are going to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by new technology and find ways that artificial intelligence can serve hands-on, student-driven teaching and learning. And we are going to graduate hundreds of Gordon students—courageous learners and compassionate leaders—who have the tools and the vision to make the world a better place.

I am looking forward to every second of it, and I am so happy we will experience it all together.

As I move into this new and exciting chapter, I want to pause to thank Gordon's Board of Trustees and the tireless members of the Head's Transition Committee, who have made the last fourteen months and my family’s landing in East Providence one of the warmest and most welcoming experiences we have ever had. I also extend deep, heartfelt gratitude to Tom Cicatiello, Alethea Dunham-Carson, and Veronica Jutras, the three Assistant Heads who showed such remarkable courage, love, and leadership over the past few months. I am also grateful to Noni Thomas López for her seven years of wise stewardship of the Gordon School, and to each of you, the members of the Gordon family, for your individual and collective roles in sustaining this amazing place.

And so, this is the beginning of my conversation with you. I invite you to take the next step and reply to this email with your ideas, your questions, your hopes, and your observations. I would also be delighted to meet with you in person or on Zoom; you may reach out to the fabulous Clare Blackmer to set a time, care of cblackmer@gordonschool.org or 401-434-3833. Please also save the date for a community-wide celebration where we all can connect in person, set to happen in downtown Providence on the evening of Friday, October 3rd. Details will follow soon.

Here’s to the start of our new chapter together.

Let’s go!