President

When I was growing up, I was lucky enough to attend two wonderful independent institutions—John Burroughs School in St. Louis and Amherst College in Massachusetts. There I learned my great love for the liberal arts—teaching students to question and think for themselves.

In initially choosing a career in public education, I sought to bring what I saw as the advantages of my own education to the greater world. One of my first ventures, the School Within A School in Brookline High School in Massachusetts, was an attempt to bring more personal attention to public school students in a smaller setting, the kind I was used to in independent education. Another, the High School of the Arts in University City High School in Missouri, melded the same impulse with my love for the arts.

In the mid-1980’s I was lucky enough to spend three years at the International School of Amsterdam as Upper School Head and Assistant Director. There I learned the value of a global perspective. I also determined that the independent headship was the ideal job for me – it would give me the opportunity to work directly with students and teachers, the crucial players in any school, as well as the Board and parents, who make everything possible. After 23 years as head of my alma mater (John Burroughs School in St. Louis), and 31 running schools, I am ready and eager to help others do the same in my new role at ISACS.