Head of School Search
Announcing the Montessori School of Durham Head of School Search Committee & Next Steps
February 2026
Dear Montessori School of Durham Community,
We are excited to share an important update regarding our search for the next Head of School. As we embark on this pivotal process, we want to introduce the members of our Head of School Search Committee, share information about our external consultant, and outline the timeline for this work. This will be a dedicated Head of School Search communication page so that the entire community can stay informed throughout the process.
Search Committee Members
The following individuals have been appointed by the Board of Trustees to serve on the Search Committee, representing diverse perspectives and deep commitment to our school:
- Michael Noël, Committee Chair — Vice Chair of the Board & Current Parent
- Shruti Desai — Trustee & Current Parent
- Jessie Gentz — Executive Committee Trustee, Alumna, & Current Parent
- Ryan Gessner — Trustee & Current Parent
- Bill Greeley — Trustee, Current Grandparent, & Alum Parent
- Cynthia Hughey — External Member, Alum Parent, & Retired Montessori Teacher / Assistant Head of School
- Dalia Mack — External Member, Former Board Chair, & Alum Parent
- Jamie Spatola — Board Chair & Current Parent
Our Consultant: Dave Monaco, Partner, moss+ross
We are pleased to be working with Dave Monaco, Partner at moss+ross, a consulting firm specializing in executive search, fundraising, and strategic planning for nonprofit and educational organizations. Dave brings extensive leadership experience in independent school administration, including years serving as a Head of School prior to his work in consulting. He partners with schools to design thoughtful, mission‑aligned searches that engage the community and help identify leaders who will strengthen organizations for the future.
Search Timeline
To ensure a comprehensive and inclusive process, the Search Committee’s work with moss+ross will begin in March and feature community-based focus groups and a constituent survey this spring before the conclusion of the school year. The Search Committee will work throughout the summer reviewing candidates and holding preliminary interviews. We expect finalist candidates to visit MSD early in the fall and to announce our new Head of School in October or November.
Stay Connected
To keep everyone informed, this will be a Head of School Search communication page, which will include updates on the process, opportunities for community engagement, and key documents related to the search.
We deeply appreciate your involvement and support as we undertake this meaningful work together. Please look for future communications with details about focus groups and the upcoming survey.
Warmly,
Michael Noël
Search Committee Chair
Montessori School of Durham
Head of School Retirement Letter
January 2026
Dear MSD Community,
Thirty-two years ago, fate brought my family to North Carolina and to MSD. At the time, we expected to be here for only two years. After those two years, life took us abroad for three years. When the boys and I repatriated to the U.S. in January of 2000, I was delighted to learn we could return to MSD mid-year. That opportunity ultimately led us back to North Carolina and back to this community, an indication of how deeply this school had already come to mean to me in just those first two years.
Fast forward to 2005, when I was unexpectedly offered the chance to serve as Interim Head of School, I could not have imagined how profoundly that chain of events would shape my life and the next 21 years.
Over the past twenty-one years, words can never fully express what this community has given me. Beyond being a parent, this role has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. As a parent, I witnessed my two children flourish in the magic of this school, and I see its impact on their lives today. In the Finance and Head of School roles, I have had the honor of working alongside an extraordinary group of trustees, educators and administrative staff who, every single day, transform the lives of children in ways that set them on brighter paths or support those who do. I am full of gratitude.
In May 2021, I shared my five-year plan towards retirement with the Executive Committee in place at the time and again with the Board of Trustees in March of 2024. I confirmed several months ago with the current Executive Committee that my retirement date will definitively be the end of June 2027. By the time of my retirement, that original timeline will have extended to six years.
What began as a one-year interim role in 2005 grew into a twenty-one year tenure, and by June 2027 will represent twenty-two years on staff at MSD. It has been a joy, but it is time to spend more time with my family, pursue my passion of travel, and get back to the mountains that I love.
So much has changed at MSD over the past twenty-one years, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together. When I joined the staff in 2005, MSD had fourteen employees; today, we are a staff of fifty-four. We have grown from six to eleven classrooms, increased enrollment by approximately 61%, built a new campus, deepened our work in Equity and Diversity, expanded financial aid tenfold, enriched our Specials program to include P.E. and music, grown our Auxiliary and Summer programs significantly, and successfully navigated a global pandemic.
Since I joined the MSD staff in 2005, the Board has grown and evolved alongside the school over the past twenty-one years. Through our membership with Independent School Management (ISM) and the Board’s adoption of the ISM’s Stability Markers, a blueprint for strong independent schools, MSD is on solid footing. Our operating reserves, faculty salaries and benefits, professional development funding, and facilities are all aligned with benchmarks for a stable school.
I share these accomplishments not as a personal reflection, but to affirm that MSD stands on a very strong foundation.
With a stellar group of teachers, a highly capable and dedicated administrative team, and a well-functioning, engaged Board, MSD is well positioned for a thoughtful, steady, and successful leadership transition that honors the school’s mission and that ensures continuity, stability, and long-term success.
Over the next eighteen months, my focus will be on continuing this important work alongside the Board and administrative team while ensuring continued support for our teachers as well as a thoughtful and well-prepared leadership transition. Together, we will remain attentive stewards of MSD’s mission, culture, and long-term health, so that the school is not only stable at the time of transition, but well positioned to thrive in its next chapter.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Great is the art of beginning; greater is the art of ending.”
My time at MSD is deeply woven into the fabric of my life, just as this community tends to do for so many. I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to have partnered with our staff and Trustees to bring our mission to life each day and to help ensure its success for the next fifty years and beyond.
To our families, thank you for your continued commitment to MSD and for sharing your precious children with us. I look forward to the next 18 months as we plan for and celebrate MSD’s 50 year anniversary together.
With great gratitude,
Tammy Squires
Head of School