A Message from the Chair of the Board

Dear Crofton House School Community:

In June, Dr. Dawson informed the board that she would serve two more years as Head of Crofton House School. At the end of June 2019 – after a most successful 19 years as Head – Pat and Paul will be moving on to new adventures.

Now is not the time for me, or any of us, to talk about all that Pat has given to the school and our children. We have many months to think about that. Months during which Dr. Dawson will be hard at work running the school. We have a bold strategic plan which now has real traction. Dr. Dawson and the board are busy creating positive changes that our girls are experiencing every day.

However, 20 months will fly by. The Board has already begun the process of identifying an exceptional successor and looks to all members of the community for their participation. In June, the board set up a Head Succession Committee and asked me to chair it with Dr. Martha Piper and Carolyn Kirkwood as committee members.

We have appointed a leading international executive search firm to advise and support us with this important work. Perrett Laver serves the schools, universities and non-profits sector globally and has advised many of the world’s great academic institutions on the appointment of school Heads and university Presidents. Locally, Perrett Laver recently supported UBC in their appointment of Professor Santa Ono as President, as well as Shawnigan Lake School in the appointment of their new Head.

Lucy Hayes, Partner and Head of their Global Schools Practice, and Dr. Gordon Lobay, Partner and Head of their Canadian operation, will be at Crofton House in late October to undertake a thorough consultation with the community. From those consultations, we hope to be able to derive a consensus voice about the attributes and skills that the community is looking for in Pat’s successor.

Further information about the consultation will be forwarded in the upcoming days. We invite you to participate and hope that you will provide your valuable input. Following consultation, the search process will commence and it is anticipated that the appointment of the new Head will be made in June 2018. The new Head will start work one year later.

Dr. Dawson will continue in her full capacity as Head of School through to her departure in June 2019, and will coordinate with the successful candidate during the 2018-2019 school year to ensure a smooth and successful transition.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Wood
Chair, Board of Governors