Head of School Transition

Head of School Search

On September 20, 2021 Seattle Waldorf School Head of School Raquel Scharf-Anderson and the Board of Trustees announced Ms. Scharf-Anderson’s departure at the end of June 2022. You may read the community announcement here.

Search Consultant

One of the most important roles of the Board of Trustees is the hiring and support of the Head of School. The Board has engaged Jane Armstrong of Independent Thinking (IT), who has partnered with independent schools on leadership searches since 2000 and has worked with many schools throughout the country.

Search Committee

With the guidance of our search consultant, the Board has formed a Search Committee to work on behalf of the entire SWS community. The Committee will interview and vet candidates and ultimately make a hiring recommendation to the Board of Trustees. Members of the Committee include:

Brigitte Bertschi, Board Member and Co-chair
Curt Eckman, Former Board President and Co-chair
Tanja Omeze, Board Member and Co-chair
Eva Elliott, Board President
Brett Calhoun, Board Member
Clara Lippert, High School Pedagogical Carrying Group Member and Faculty Co-chair
Robert Murphy, Grade School Pedagogical Carrying Group Member and Faculty Co-chair

We are grateful to these individuals for the great service they will be performing.

Opportunity Statement

Created by our search partner with input from families, faculty, staff, and students, the Opportunity Statement opens the SWS Head of School search to candidates and provides details about the school and the position.

Opportunity Statement

Community Involvement

The search for the next SWS Head of School is an inclusive process that will take into account our community’s hopes and dreams for the school while identifying and preserving all that is special. Initiatives include:

Community-wide survey. A confidential survey was shared with the SWS community with the goal to collect feedback from all stakeholders. Responses will be collectd by Independent Thinking.
Stakeholder meetings. Jane Armstrong is onsite October 18–19 to visit campuses and meet with stakesholders. Jane and her team are conducting in-person and virtual meetings with students, faculty, staff, Community Association leadership, and administrators. If you have questions or comments for Jane Armstrong, please reach out via email.
Dedicated email address. Community members can provide feedback and ask questions by sending email to headsearch@seattlewaldorf.org.
Dedicated webpage. This webpage is regularly updated with pertinent information.