Rippowam Cisqua School Names New Head of School

The following announcement was sent to parents and staff or Rippowam Cisqua School by Kirtley Cameron and William McLanahan:

Dear Members of the Rippowam Cisqua School Community:

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Head of School Search Committee, it is our great pleasure to announce the appointment of Colm MacMahon as our new Head of School, effective July 1, 2015. The Board’s unanimous decision followed a unanimous and enthusiastic recommendation by the Search Committee. Each member of the Board and the Search Committee has a deep belief in the strong match between the criteria established by the Search Committee, and informed by input from the full school community, and Colm’s skills, values, and leadership style.

Colm brings with him nearly twenty years of experience as a teacher, advisor, coach, and senior leadership administrator at successful independent schools. He currently serves as the Upper School Division Head and Assistant Head of School at School of the Holy Child in Rye, NY. He earned his Master’s Degree in Organization and Leadership from the Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership at Columbia University, and has served on accreditation committees for the New York State Association of Independent Schools. Colm also brings governance experience from his service on Boards of multiple schools, including online learning and charter schools. He has had impressive accomplishments in the areas of admissions, marketing and enrollment strategies, curriculum development, hiring and management of faculty and administrators, and fundraising.

In addition to serving as our school’s new head, Colm will also be an RCS parent for many years to come. He and his wife Kara have a six-year-old son, Ciaran, and a two-year-old daughter, Neve. We look forward to welcoming Colm, Kara, and their children to our community next summer.

An intelligent and visionary leader with outstanding communication skills, Colm brings a passion for education, for independent schools, and for the mission of RCS and the values that he shares with our school. In his letter to the Search Committee, Colm wrote, “Independent schools provide students and educators the unique opportunity to think big, dream, be creative, and envision what might be, and then actually move forward and accomplish those goals… [O]ur students need and deserve teachers and administrators that refuse to accept complacency; individuals who believe that we can always get better and are not afraid to do the work or take the necessary risks.” He went on to say, “In the final line of Rippowam Cisqua’s philosophy, the School is described as ‘a place where children come, not where they are sent.’ What a beautiful, clear statement. As a person who has spent virtually his entire life in great independent schools, I share this belief - this is what all schools should strive to be.”

Colm’s appointment as the 17th Head of Rippowam Cisqua School represents the culmination of a comprehensive national search in which the ten-member Search Committee—comprised of trustees, parents, faculty, and staff—with the help of our consultants at Carney Sandoe & Associates, screened more than a hundred applicants, met with more than fifteen highly qualified candidates, and extensively interviewed nine semi-finalists. From these nine, four exceptional final candidates emerged. A priority was placed on creating a transparent and inclusive process that would both attract the best candidates and ensure active participation from all areas of the RCS community.

Your participation was critical to our success, and the input and feedback we received from faculty, administrators, parents, alumni, and trustees, was highly valued and greatly appreciated. It was carefully considered in the context of the Search Committee’s interviews and the multiple opportunities it had to interact with the candidates and also in the context of the extensive reference checks and conversations with current and past colleagues of the finalists. We are deeply grateful to the members of the Search Committee for their service to the School and their dedication and commitment to a successful search process.

In accepting the appointment, Colm stated “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this remarkable, vibrant school and am thrilled to work closely with its outstanding faculty, staff, and administration as we move forward into very exciting times for Rippowam Cisqua. Throughout our recent visit to RCS, Kara and I found ourselves warmly welcomed at every turn, and we could not be happier for our family’s future at the School. I am truly honored to serve as Rippowam Cisqua’s next Head of School and will do all I can to make each student’s experience exceptional.”

When Colm joins us next July, he will be building on nearly one hundred years of tradition and a history of excellence at RCS while looking ahead to the exciting opportunities on the horizon. We are confident that Colm has the experience, skills, integrity, and passion to create a clear vision for moving the School forward, and the strength of leadership to make this vision a reality. The Head search has been an incredibly reaffirming process that has united various constituents and reignited a passion and belief in the greatness of the School. Please join us in welcoming Colm MacMahon to our RCS community - we could not be more excited for the future of Rippowam Cisqua School under his leadership.

Sincerely,

Kirtley Cameron
Chair, Board of Trustees

and

William McLanahan
Chair, Head of School Search Committee

Photo: Colm MacMahon. Photo credit: Rippowam Cisqua School