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Berkshire Country Day School Names Interim, Future Heads of School
11:16AM / Friday, June 29, 2018
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STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. &mash; The Board of Trustees of Berkshire Country Day School, an independent school for students in preschool through ninth grade, welcomes Dr. Mark Segar, who joins the school on July 1 as interim head of school for the 2018-19 school year, and Jenifer Fox, who has been appointed head of school beginning in the 2019-2020 year.

This announcement comes following an extensive search process with substantive input from a broad array of stakeholders, and both decisions by the board were unanimous approvals of the search committee's recommendations. Stephanie Buchanan, search committee co-chair and board member, said, "We are thrilled to have both Mark and Jenifer joining our community. They are exceptional educators and leaders who will preserve our school's core values and advance our mission."

Dr. Segar is a seasoned and successful administrator, with more than 30 years of experience as a head of school and interim posts. Previous positions have included head of school at Waynflete School in Portland, Maine, director of the Common School in Amherst, Mass., and interim head appointments at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Learning Prep School, and Falmouth Academy. An alumnus of independent schools, including Renbrook School and Loomis Chafee School in Connecticut, he holds an A.B. in English from Harvard College and an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

He will be joined in the Berkshires by his wife, Susan Metters, a retired school counselor. Dr. Segar follows Paul Lindenmaier, who served BCD for 10 years.

As an educational visionary,  Fox is a frontrunner in the strengths movement in schools. She is currently serving as the founding head of school at the Delta School in Wilson, Ark., and was previously head of school at the Clariden School of Southlake, a preK-grade 12 Montessori School in Texas, and president/head of school at the Purnell School, an all-girls grades nine through 12 boarding school in New Jersey. Over the course of her 35 plus years' domestic and international career in education, she has held head of upper school, division head, interim head, and teaching positions.

She holds a master of education from Harvard University, a master of arts in English from Middlebury College, Bread Loaf School of English, and a bachelor of science in Education and Communication from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Fox will be Berkshire Country Day School's 13th Head of School.

Fox, who is also an in-demand presenter and renowned author, will bring a dynamic presence to Berkshire Country Day School. Her best-sellers, "Your Child's Strengths, Discover Them, Develop Them, Use Them" (Viking Press 2008) and "The Differentiated Instruction Book of Lists" (Jossey-Bass, 2010), are seminal literature, in fact among the only, on the topic of personal strength-finding for children. She has been a Tex X presenter and featured on the Today Show for her views on the strengths movement, as well as keynote speaker at numerous educational conferences, including the National Association of Independent Schools, The Christy McCullife Technology Conference, the National Association of Girls Schools/Simmons School of Management Institute for Women Leaders, and the East African Conference of International Schools.

"It is with great delight and optimistic anticipation that I accept your offer to become the next Head of School at Berkshire Country Day School. My visit to campus introduced me to a community that is welcoming and committed to the school and its future. I promise to dedicate myself whole‐heartedly to Berkshire Country Day and will work with the goal of ensuring BCD remains a home of educational excellence, community engagement, excitement, grace, and service," Fox said.

Board chair and search committee co-chair Cara Vermeulen said BCD is "incredibly fortunat" to have found two candidates who are each such a perfect fit.

"Mark has a deep passion for independent education and great enthusiasm for joining the BCD school community. Already having him in place as an interim for a transition year provided us the opportunity to attract Jenifer, who will not complete her current position until the summer of 2019," she said. "Mark brings experienced decision-making skills and will have a unique 'insider/outsider' perspective and understanding of BCD's past, current needs, and its future. As interim head, he will continue to advance the School in preparation for Jenifer's arrival. Likewise, we are thrilled that Berkshire Country Day School has the opportunity to marry Jenifer's national reputation as an educational leader with our school's mission and core values. She and Mark have expressed their desire to begin working together throughout the coming year. We all believe this will ensure the smoothest possible transition and the greatest benefit to the School from both Mark's and Jenifer's experience and expertise.

"We look forward to each serving as BCD's ambassadors in the community and expanding the impact of the School beyond the campus."

 

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