May 2, 2025 Letter and Overview
May 2, 2025
Dear Topeka Collegiate Community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I’m writing to share an update from our Head of School Search Committee. The search process will take place over the coming months, with the goal of appointing a new Head of School to begin on July 1, 2026.
The Head of School Search Committee has been appointed, initially composed of the following Trustees:
Alexandra Blasi ‘98, JD, MBA
Sri Donepudi P’24, MD, MMM
Bridget Elmer ‘91 P’30 ‘32, Vice President, Chair
Sean Frost P’32, President
Jessie Morris Garlinghouse, EdD
Susan Garlinghouse P’90, Secretary
Scott Hamilton P’00 '06, Treasurer, DDS
Sarah Towle P’31
After interviewing multiple search agencies, the Board has retained Carney Sandoe & Associates (CSA) to lead the search for our next Head of School, with John Faubert and Sabrina Zurkuhlen as our dedicated search consultants.
John will be visiting our campus next week, when he will get to know Topeka Collegiate and spend time with a wide range of community members, including students, faculty and staff, parents, trustees, and alumni.
We welcome the families of our current students to meet with John at the school during his visit on Tuesday, May 6th, between 3:30-5:25 pm in the Assembly Hall.
In addition, we invite all community members to share their perspectives on the Head of School search, as well as their aspirations for Topeka Collegiate’s future, via an online survey, prepared in collaboration with CSA. The survey will be open for one week, between Monday, May 5th, and Monday, May 12th, and can be accessed during that time by visiting this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TopekaCollegiateHOS
We will soon publish a dedicated landing page on the Topeka Collegiate website, which we will update periodically throughout the search and transition process. We have also created a dedicated email address at TCheadsearch@gmail.com, and we welcome you to reach out to the Search Committee at any time with your thoughts and questions.
We will communicate throughout the search process, sharing with transparency whenever possible, while also maintaining confidentiality to assure the highest caliber of candidates.
Community engagement will be essential to the success of our search! We look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Bridget Elmer, Chair
Head of School Search Committee