For the fourth year in a row, Ravenscroft's student-led fundraising team for Crucial Catch has been recognized as the top fundraising school in the nation, exceeding their goal of $30,000 by more than $6,000, and once again winning the prestigious Pink Cleat Award.
The Ravenscroft community, guided by our legacy of excellence, nurtures individual potential and prepares students to thrive in a complex and interdependent world.
Search Committee and Recruiting Firm
The Search Committee is committed to the best interest of the school, considering both short-term and long-term visioning for Ravenscroft, and possesses extreme optimism for the opportunities a new Head of School can bring.
Working with RG175, the Search Committee will identify and meet with candidates, ultimately making a recommendation to the Board of Trustees for the next Head of School.
Happy New Year! As 2024 dawns, my excitement is rising to step into the role of Head of School on July 1. I feel so fortunate to have the next six months to learn as much as possible about the Ravenscroft community, culture, people and traditions before officially beginning work.
I was drawn to Ravenscroft’s mission and values, particularly the focus on leadership development in preparing students “to thrive in a complex and interdependent world.” One of my first opportunities to prepare to lead this great community, and to aid in growing future leaders at Ravenscroft, will be to attend a weeklong leadership training at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro later this month.
It is no small choice that Ravenscroft, the oldest day school in North Carolina, begins its mission statement with the words, “Guided by our legacy of excellence …” Rest assured that as we change leaders at Ravenscroft, one thing will remain the same — our shared commitment to excellence. Over the last 27 years, I have been fortunate to serve at two other independent schools with traditions of academic excellence, and I am focused on keeping the commitment to excellence thriving at Ravenscroft.
Much thoughtful planning has gone into this leadership transition thanks to the collaboration of current Head of School Doreen Kelly and Board Chair Laura Helton Kalorin ’92.
In November, Doreen and I began having weekly video calls and we will continue to do so. I was in Raleigh over the Thanksgiving break and had the opportunity to meet with the Welcome and Transition Task Force of the Board of Trustees and members of the senior leadership team. One of the outcomes of these conversations is the planning of more visits this spring so that I have the opportunity to learn from faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni.
I am reminded of the ending of the Walt Whitman poem, “O Me! O Life!” —“That the powerful play goes on, and you may but contribute a verse.” As the next Head of School, I will be humbled and honored to follow Doreen Kelly and to work with the dedicated and talented team of professionals employed at Ravenscroft — the many faculty and staff who dutifully serve the Ravenscroft community daily and are the key to our success. I join the community with full recognition that this is a powerful group of professionals who have been serving and soaring for years.
Thank you — thank you to the entire community and the Board of Trustees for entrusting me with this tremendous responsibility and opportunity. I look forward to returning to campus this spring and getting to know each of you.
Yours in service,
Derrick D. Willard Incoming Head of School
On behalf of the Ravenscroft Board of Trustees and the Head of School Search Committee, we are pleased to announce that, in a meeting held this afternoon, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, Derrick Willard was unanimously chosen by the Board to serve as our next Head of School beginning July 1, 2024.
The amount of feedback we received from the community during this process is a testimony to our shared love of Ravenscroft. Your input played a significant role in forming the Search Committee’s guiding priorities and identifying our needs and opportunities for the next Head of School. Thank you.
Ravenscroft’s future relies heavily on continued strategic planning and execution around academic excellence; supporting our talented professionals; providing a healthy, diverse and inclusive community; and enriching alumni engagement, campus enhancements and fundraising.
We are confident Derrick is the right person to meet these charges and expect him to lead our school into the coming years through the lens of our mission; Lead from Here, our citizen leader framework; and our statement of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Derrick is an outstanding educator with proven success in independent school leadership. He is also a lifelong learner and has expressed great anticipation about engaging with the Center for Creative Leadership to learn more about Lead From Here and our model for cultivating citizen leaders.
With your support and input, we are pleased to be at this point and to have found an individual who is deeply aligned with our mission and eager to move forward with Ravenscroft’s strategic priorities. Derrick, along with his wife Jenny, will be a wonderful addition to our school community. We look forward to both of them joining us next summer and becoming immersed in all things Ravenscroft. Upon accepting the Board’s offer, Derrick shared:
I am honored to receive and accept the offer from the Board to lead Ravenscroft and I am humbled to follow a respected school leader like Doreen. Jenny and I are so excited to join the Ravenscroft family and the larger Raleigh community. I am eager to return to campus and engage with students, teachers and staff, parents, alumni and friends of this great institution. Together we will continue to build on a legacy of excellence and carry Ravenscroft forward into a bright future.
Head of School Doreen Kelly will continue as our leader until the end of June. She and Derrick will begin collaborating over the coming months to support a seamless transition. She shared:
I look forward to welcoming Derrick and Jenny Willard to Ravenscroft! Derrick is a highly respected colleague and leader throughout the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS), even most recently leading a webinar on mentorship and sponsorship. I have no doubt that the combination of his leadership skills and strength in strategic planning will help propel Ravenscroft forward and build upon the amazing success we have had as a community over the past 20+ years.
We wanted you to have this update as soon as possible and to let you know Derrick and Jenny will return to campus in the near future for official introductions. Please stay tuned for more details!
Laura Kalorin ’92, P’24 ’26 ’28 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
Amy Batten P’22 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee
Former Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
Photo courtesy of Providence Day School
Please Welcome Derrick Willard
Mr. Derrick Willard is starting his fifth year as Head of School at Augusta Preparatory Day School in Martinez, Georgia. Over his tenure, Willard has successfully led significant growth in enrollment and raised $10M for a new state-of-the-art sciences and engineering facility that will open in January 2024. Prior to his role at Augusta Prep, Willard dedicated 22 years to Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C., in successive leadership positions. During his last six years, he served as Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs and was responsible for all academic programs, policies and practices for the three school divisions. The role also encompassed recruiting, hiring, mentoring and evaluating over 200 faculty members. Before this, Willard taught science at both the Middle and Upper School levels at Providence Day, served as honor council chair, chaired the science department and coordinated professional development.
The son of two public school educators, Willard was awarded an Army ROTC scholarship to Davidson College where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army after serving as a tank and scout platoon leader and an armor battalion logistics officer. Willard went on to pursue a career in education and earned his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University.
Willard, an avid fly fisherman, is married to Dr. Jenny Willard, a pediatrician, and together they have two children, Mac (age 28) and Anna Grace (age 23), and two dogs.
The Head of School Search Committee is pleased to share that both finalists have completed their visits to Ravenscroft. During their visits, both candidates met with the Search Committee, the Board, students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni spanning decades of graduates from Ravenscroft.
We are grateful for our community’s support and participation — thank you.
Based upon the Search Committee's review and assessment of the candidates, their references and the feedback from the time they spent on campus, the committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees for the Board's consideration. The Board will then review the recommendation and ultimately, in accordance with the school's bylaws, provide the final approval to hire the next Head of School.
Along this journey, we have been receptive to the feedback and input from everyone in our community and continue to encourage you to contact us, if you would like. Please email us at headsearch@ravenscroft.org and/or visit www.ravenscroft.org/headsearch for an overview of updates and communications.
We look forward to sharing more information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Laura and Amy
Laura Kalorin ’92, P’24 ’26 ’28 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
Amy Batten P’22 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee
Former Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
Dear Ravenscroft Community,
It is with great pleasure that we announce the two finalists for the position of Ravenscroft’s next Head of School.
Visiting Sept. 6-8: Derrick Willard
Mr. Derrick Willard is starting his fifth year as Head of School at Augusta Preparatory Day School in Martinez, Georgia. Over his tenure, Willard has successfully led significant growth in enrollment and raised $10M for a new state-of-the-art sciences and engineering facility that will open in January 2024. Prior to his role at Augusta Prep, Willard dedicated 22 years to Providence Day School in Charlotte, N.C., in successive leadership positions. During his last six years, he served as Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs and was responsible for all academic programs, policies and practices for the three school divisions. The role also encompassed recruiting, hiring, mentoring and evaluating over 200 faculty members. Before this, Willard taught science at both the Middle and Upper School levels at Providence Day, served as honor council chair, chaired the science department and coordinated professional development.
The son of two public school educators, Willard was awarded an Army ROTC scholarship to Davidson College where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army after serving as a tank and scout platoon leader and an armor battalion logistics officer. Willard went on to pursue a career in education and earned his Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University.
Willard, an avid fly fisherman, is married to Dr. Jenny Willard, a pediatrician, and together they have two children, Mac (age 28) and Anna Grace (age 23), and two dogs.
Visiting Sept. 10-12: Tim Tinnesz
Mr. Tim Tinnesz is starting his twelfth year as Head of School at St. Timothy’s School in Raleigh. Over his tenure, Tinnesz has led St. Timothy’s’ sustained excellence in academics, arts and athletics, with innovative new programs and curriculum, strong enrollment, a successful campus expansion and outstanding community support. Notably, annual giving increased over 400% and student retention reached 97% over the last 10 years at St. Timothy’s. Tinnesz served two terms on the Board of NCAIS and has also served on numerous accreditation teams for SAIS. He previously served as Head of Middle and Upper Schools at Gaston Day School in Gastonia, N.C., overseeing the development of regionally and nationally recognized programs and successful college placements at top universities across the United States. Before this, Tinnesz was a Middle and High School Social Studies teacher whose A.P. Government class was recognized by the College Board as among the best in the nation.
Tinnesz earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Florida, where he was the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Valedictorian. He pursued his Master of Arts in American Government from Georgetown University.
Tinnesz and his wife, Karen, have three sons — current Ravens Will ’26 and Patrick ’27, and Sean ’30, who is currently enrolled at St. Timothy’s. Karen joined Ravenscroft’s Upper School as a math teacher earlier this year. The Tinnesz family has visited nearly 20 U.S. National Parks from Maine to Alaska with the goal of seeing them all as soon as they can.
The Search Committee believes these finalists exhibit the skill sets and leadership traits that will best serve Ravenscroft, and we look forward to members of the community meeting them during their upcoming visits.
Thank you again for your ongoing support and participation in the search for the next Head of School.
Sincerely,
Laura and Amy
Laura Kalorin ’92, P’24 ’26 ’28 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
Amy Batten P’22 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee
Former Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
We are pleased to provide an update on the Head of School search.
The Search Committee recognizes the importance of this decision and has been following a meticulous process, guided by our consultants at RG175.
We have been carefully considering the feedback and input provided by our school community — it has helped the committee shape the school's priorities and needs for the future.
The insights collected from the community survey in May provided a wealth of information and we want to express our gratitude for your participation. The survey results indicated that as we move forward, it is important for us to preserve:
Academic excellence — providing a strong and innovative curriculum
Outstanding faculty — the caliber of and qualities exemplified by our talented professionals
Lead From Here — cultivating citizen leaders
Our community — the sense of belonging we feel by being part of Ravenscroft
Using the feedback from the survey, the Search Committee developed guiding priorities, which were shared with RG175 to identify candidates who exhibit the skill set and leadership traits we seek. We are fortunate that Ravenscroft's strong reputation nationally and globally enhanced our ability to attract outstanding candidates — with more than 50 people expressing interest in the position.
After a thorough review, we identified seven semi-finalists who met our criteria. The Search Committee met in person with the semi-finalists earlier this month.
Following an extensive evaluation process, the Search Committee has chosen two finalists as the top candidates for Ravenscroft’s next Head of School.
The two finalists will visit our campus on Sept. 6-8 and Sept. 10-12. During these visits, members of our community, including faculty, staff, students, parents/guardians and alumni, will have the opportunity to meet the finalists and provide input.
We will share more information about the candidates on the afternoon of Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Thank you for your ongoing trust and participation in the process. We look forward to this important next step.
Sincerely,
Laura and Amy
Laura Kalorin ’92, P’24 ’26 ’28 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee
Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
Amy Batten P’22 Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee
Former Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustee
As co-chairs of the Head of School Search Committee, we are reaching out to provide a brief update on the search process.
It has been a busy few weeks for the Search Committee. When we last touched base, we were launching the Head of School Search Survey as a very crucial part of the process. The survey, with a tremendous response rate from our community, has been an important vehicle for the Search Committee to learn more about your thoughts and our community’s needs in our next Head of School. We have spent the past few weeks reviewing and discussing the feedback.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey and provide input.
We are pleased to share that there has been very robust interest in the Head of School position from many highly qualified candidates.
RG175, the search firm we have retained for placing our next Head of School, has been in contact with more than 50 individuals, and ultimately more than 40 candidates completed an application for the position. RG175 also contacted every person suggested via the survey or by word of mouth.
At this time, the Search Committee is evaluating the submissions of top candidates, and we will interview semifinalists in the coming weeks. We are planning for finalist candidates to come to campus and meet our community in the fall. We look forward to providing more information and another update as the process progresses.
On behalf of the Search Committee, thank you for your input, collaboration and partnership as we continue to work toward identifying the next Head of School for Ravenscroft.
As co-chairs of the Head of School Search Committee, we are reaching out to provide a brief update and to extend an invitation to complete our Head of School Search Survey, which is now open.
We’ve shared previously that Ravenscroft retained RG175, a top search firm specializing in national and international independent school leadership placements. Last week, RG175 representatives Marcia Prewitt Spiller and John Farber visited campus for two days, holding discovery sessions with members of the community including students, parents, faculty, staff, leadership, trustees and alumni. We are pleased to report the meetings were very productive.
SURVEY IS NOW OPEN
The Head of School Search Survey is a crucial part of the search process and an important vehicle for us to learn more about your thoughts and the community’s needs.
Input from everyone in our community is important. Please take time to share your thoughts and feedback through the 10-question online Head of School Search Survey.
Even if you were able to attend an on-campus discovery session, we encourage you to provide input using the survey.
RG175 will use the insights from their on-campus visit and the survey to help identify the best possible candidates for Ravenscroft’s next Head of School.
IMPORTANT NOTES
The survey is confidential,and all responses are submitted directly to RG175.
Any information provided to the Search Committee will be anonymous and without identifying information.
There is an option to submit your name at the end of the survey. By providing your name, your responses are no longer confidential, and information shared with the Search Committee will include your identifiable information.
Please complete the Head of School Search Survey by 11 p.m., Friday, May 26, 2023.
On behalf of the Search Committee, we thank you for your time and participation in the survey. We understand how busy you are — especially at this time of year — and would like you to know that your feedback is valuable and we appreciate it.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns by contacting us at headsearch@ravenscroft.org.
Sincerely,
Amy and Laura
Amy Batten P’22 Chair, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee
Laura Kalorin ’92, P’24 ’26 ’28 Secretary, Ravenscroft Board of Trustees
Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee
After more than 20 years of dedicated service to our community, Head of School Doreen Kelly has shared with the Ravenscroft Board of Trustees and me that she is concluding her service as Head of School at the end of our 2023-24 school year. In partnership with Doreen, we have been preparing for this significant moment in our school’s history.
“Connecting the Head and Heart”
It is truly remarkable to have a Head of School serve an institution for more than 20 years, and on behalf of the entire Ravenscroft community, I would like to offer our heartfelt gratitude to Doreen for her leadership and the many indelible marks she has made on our school — and in education locally and nationally.
Doreen’s passion for “connecting the head and heart” of our institution and the care of our children has transformed the Ravenscroft educational journey over the past 20 years.
In her letter, shared separately today, Doreen highlights many significant achievements during her leadership — including multiple fundraising campaigns that led to new and improved facilities across all areas of the school and new endowments to support all aspects of the educational journey. At the same time, we would also like to acknowledge Doreen’s exceptional leadership through the pandemic. During a time of extreme uncertainty and duress, Doreen remained thoughtfully focused on the needs of everyone in our community and exemplified strength, bravery and perseverance while carefully considering and pursuing options for the continuity of our children’s education.
One of the most significant initiatives led by Doreen has been the more than 10-year partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership that resulted in our unique and distinctive program, Lead From Here. By combining academics, arts and athletic education with citizen-leadership learning, Ravenscroft has a framework that is a lasting testimony to “connecting the head and heart.”
Given her forward-looking mindset, and her commitment to Ravenscroft’s mission, vision and values, it’s no surprise that Doreen is also committed to providing a smooth transition to the new Head of School. She has carefully and confidently recruited, hired and retained top talent to serve as faculty and staff at Ravenscroft over the decades — and today’s Leadership Team is a highly experienced and well-established group that will also play a role in providing continuity for our community. In addition, should the new Head of School request her assistance, Doreen has agreed to serve as a strategic consultant through 2024-25.
We are grateful for all Doreen has done to serve our community and for her ongoing support.
Identifying the Next Head of School
This is a significant time in our school’s history — a time that the Board has been preparing for and a time that is taken very seriously. One of the duties of the Board of Trustees is to hire the next Head of School, and we will now publicly begin the process. To support our efforts, the Board has named a Search Committee and retained a nationally recognized recruiting firm, RG175.
During the recruiting and hiring process, there will be opportunities for all facets of our community — faculty and staff, parents, alumni and students — to provide input and feedback. RG175 will visit our campus, have in-person meetings and conduct an online survey to learn more about our school’s current and future needs.
Search Committee
To lead our efforts, the Board has formed a Search Committee that is co-chaired by Secretary of the Board of Trustees Laura Helton Kalorin ’92 and me and comprises five additional members who are current and former trustees. The committee will work closely with RG175 to identify the ideal person to serve as our next Head of School and, after meeting candidates, the Search Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Ultimately, the Board will make the final decision as to who will serve as the next Head of School.
Community Survey
Later this month, and in partnership with RG175, we will issue a survey seeking your input and feedback on our community’s needs and priorities. In order to have the best representation of voices from our community and understand the qualities you hope to see in our next Head of School, it is imperative that everyone participate in the survey. Please be on the lookout for more information and a link to complete the survey in mid-May.
Updates and Additional Information
Please visit the Head of School Search webpage on Ravenscroft.org for more information about the search for the next Head of School, the Search Committee, RG175 and any additional updates. If you have questions, would like to contact the Search Committee or have suggestions for possible candidates, please email HeadSearch@Ravenscroft.org. Note that as we work through the search process, all information about candidates will be kept confidential.
Our Appreciation
Over the past 20 years, Doreen has served the Ravenscroft community with her whole heart. By her side has been her husband, Chris, who has also served the school in various roles in our Upper School. She has lived a very public life in our community, raising her family in the campus spotlight with three children, Ryan ’09, Sean ’11 and Erin ’15, and the next generation of Kellys attending Ravenscroft with her grandchildren as students or soon-to-be students.
Please join us in expressing our deepest gratitude to Doreen and her family and wishing them many blessings as they move forward in their next chapter. We look forward to many opportunities to celebrate and honor her over the year ahead.
Chris and I feel so blessed to be a part of the Ravenscroft family. Not only have we raised our family on this campus, a truly magical place for children, we’ve also had the opportunity to love and serve many colleagues and students over the years. This work has been incredibly rewarding, and we are full of gratitude.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once wrote, “Great is the art of beginning, greater is the art of ending.”
After much contemplation and intentional succession planning over the last several years with the Board of Trustees, June 2024 marks the best point for new paths to emerge for me and my family and for Ravenscroft.
In so many ways, Ravenscroft has never been better! I am so proud of our students, faculty, and staff, and I have full confidence that the momentum the school currently enjoys — a healthy enrollment, talented faculty and staff, a laudable college matriculation list, alumni making a mark on the world with great success, a gorgeous physical plant, and a sound financial position — will continue into the future. Ravenscroft has a respected national reputation, and our new Board-approved strategic plan, “Framing Our Future,” sets the course for the next five years and beyond.
Looking back to when we began this journey in the fall of 2003, as a community we have accomplished more than we could have ever dreamed. Together we have established new athletic fields; created the aesthetically pleasing Sloan Circle, Bell Entrance and Winston Entrance; and built and enhanced many spaces, including the young peoples’ theatre and the Keim Center for Innovation and Research, the PreK Learning Center that welcomes our youngest Ravens, and the Olander Center for Student Life at the A.E. Finley Activity Center that is the envy of many peer schools. Over the years we have made significant improvements to our Financial Aid budget and established the very impactful Mann Scholar Endowment.Our nationally recognized partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership paved the way for Ravenscroft’s curricular programing Lead From Here and our citizen leadership framework. Our more contemporary Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Statement will support our mission for years to come. All of these enhancements have been very rewarding work and continue to help fulfill the vision of the Holding family and many others who came before us.
In addition, we created more than 74 new endowed funds that equate to over $15M that will plant important seeds of support for the future of Ravenscroft in the areas of financial aid, leadership programming, innovation, student wellness, fine arts and sports programming, and much more.
However our best work together isn’t measured by dollars raised, fresh bricks and mortar, or curricula. Our greatest satisfaction stems from the relationships we have cultivated with members of this incredible community — especially the students but also our alumni, past and current parents, and of course Ravenscroft’s past and present trustees. I am extremely proud of the faculty and staff we have attracted to Ravenscroft over the years and in whose wonderful hands we leave the school.
As Mister Rogers would say, “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.” Over the years, we have launched no fewer than eight heads of school nationally, and many other colleagues have continued on their leadership journey internally and beyond. In the future, I look forward to my work supporting leaders as an executive coach nationally and will always point the way to Ravenscroft as a leadership development environment committed to supporting, growing, and launching leaders while they focus on what is core to teaching and learning and supporting those who are passionate about independent school education.
Without a doubt, I would not have been able to sustain this work for over 20 years in this role without the loving support of my family. We have lived a very public life on this campus, and the team we created as a family has been such a blessing. I’m grateful to my husband, Chris, who supported my curiosity and ambition each step of the way. The love of my parents, siblings, and close friends always encouraged me to “get in the game” despite the odds and often reminded me that very few are willing to stay in the arena. And to my children, their partners, and now my grandchildren, I have a special sense of gratitude: without choice, they grew up in full view of the Ravenscroft community and in close proximity to the work, whether it was joyful or in some cases challenging. Along the way, they were supported by incredible people at Ravenscroft who challenged and nurtured their strengths as well as supported and protected them too. We kept our growing team together, and I count that among the biggest accomplishments of all.
It has been a great honor serving Ravenscroft as a teacher, division leader and Head of School through my time here. Whether proudly enjoying a fine arts performance or art exhibit, watching seniors parade through campus at the opening of each year, getting a hug from a Lower School student at carpool, exchanging a warm greeting with a Middle School student, listening to a student or employee share at our Gathering/Chapel programs, or cheering on the sidelines of games and Homecoming, I have benefited from a deep sense of belonging in our unique community. All of these experiences will be permanently etched into my heart. We will fervently support Ravenscroft, our leaders, and the students in the years ahead and will always hold most dear all the memories of our time here. May the Bell Tower always ring loudly signaling a call to community and may we be forever inspired in the work. In the words of Mrs. Pugh: “It’s for the kids, it’s always for the kids.”
Deus Pascit Corvos - God feed the Ravens!
With great appreciation, gratitude, and affection,
