The final decision is made by the Board of Trustees. While the search committee conducts the search process and makes a recommendation to the board, the full Board is responsible for voting to appoint the next Head. This is a central fiduciary and governance responsibility of the Board. This process is consistent with independent school best practices and was unchanged by the school's recent governance structure update. 

The Board follows its bylaws, which require a majority vote to approve the appointment of a Head of School. The goal is to ensure a strong level of support and alignment behind the new leader. The vote is confidential among trustees, as is common practice in nonprofit governance.

Board deliberations and votes are confidential in order to protect both the integrity of the process and the privacy of the candidates. Confidentiality also allows trustees to speak openly, ask difficult questions, and evaluate candidates honestly and professionally. This is consistent with independent school best practices.

Feedback from families, faculty, staff, and students played a central role in developing the position statement, leadership profile and identifying the qualities most important to our community. These priorities shaped the evaluation criteria used throughout the search, informed the questions asked of candidates, and guided the search committee’s recommendations to the Board. The community surveys completed after each candidate visit have been reviewed in detail by the search committee, including data disaggregated by constituency (parent/guardians, staff, lead admin, and trustees). These serve as critical tools for assessing each candidate. Community input does not determine the final choice, but it meaningfully influences the Board’s deliberations.

After more than 35 remarkable years at Presidio Hill School, including 7 years at the helm as Head of School, Lisa made the decision to retire. We are incredibly fortunate to have had Lisa’s leadership and dedication over the years, during which she played a pivotal role in shaping the school’s curriculum, culture, growth and evolution. While we will undoubtedly miss her presence, she leaves the school in an incredibly strong position, with a promising future ahead. Lisa will remain as Head of School through the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

The responsibility for selecting the next Head of School at PHS lies with the Board of Trustees—one of its most significant duties. The Board will contribute to shaping the desired candidate profile, meet with all finalists, and, based on the Search Committee’s recommendation, approve the appointment of the new Head of School.

To lead this process, the Board has established a Search Committee to manage the search on its behalf. The Committee will be led by two co-chairs - trustees Michelle Chan and Gabriel Mass ‘95. The committee is responsible for overseeing each phase of the process and will gather input from all constituents of the PHS community, including students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, former parents, and trustees. In partnership with our search consultants at RG175, the Committee will coordinate and execute the logistics of the entire search effort.

Both the Board and the Search Committee are dedicated to keeping the PHS community informed and engaged as the process unfolds.

The PHS Board, the Search Committee and our consultants are committed to an open search and value the perspectives and input of our faculty and staff. Broad faculty and staff input will be solicited through the process, with key opportunities including:

• Participation in a community survey in Fall 2025
• Opportunity to meet with and provide feedback on the three finalists in Winter 2025

In addition, all faculty and staff are encouraged to share their thoughts with the search consultants, Coreen Hester and Steve Morris.

Recognizing the invaluable perspective and essential feedback that faculty and staff bring to the process, the Search Committee has also formed a Faculty and Staff Advisory Committee. The FSAC will offer another opportunity to represent the faculty and staff perspective at key points in the process, helping ensure that the lived experience and perspectives of our educators and staff inform this important decision. The FSAC members were nominated by the Search Committee in consultation with the Head of School to ensure balanced perspectives and broad community representation across diverse departments, grade levels, professional roles, and years of service at PHS.

The PHS Board, the Search Committee and our consultants are committed to an open search and value the perspectives and input of all members of the PHS community. Community input will be solicited through the process, with key opportunities including:

• Participation in a community survey in Fall 2025
• In-person meetings with RG175 in Fall 2025
• Opportunity to meet with and provide feedback on the three finalists in Winter 2025

In addition, parents and guardians are encouraged to share their thoughts with the search consultants, Coreen Hester and Steve Morris.

PHS is partnering with the leading national executive search firm, RG175 and two of their Bay Area-based consultants, Coreen Hester and Steve Morris. Together with a search committee, they will be committed to a thoughtful, transparent, and inclusive process.

RG 175 is providing advice to the Search Committee concerning format, logistics, procedure, and best practices throughout the search process. In particular, key roles include:

• Providing advice regarding the search process and timeline
• Preparing a Position Statement that summarizes the PHS Head of School opportunity and the qualities and characteristics of ideal candidates
• Sourcing candidates nationally and internationally
• Conducting reference checks
• Supporting the Search Committee in evaluating candidates
• Providing advice to ensure a successful transition

Spring 2025

• Head of School departure announced
• Search committee formed 
• Faculty and Staff Advisory Committee formed

Early Fall 2025

• RG175 conducts site visits, interviews, and surveys of the community 
• Position Statement posted 

Fall 2025

• Candidate communication and recruitment by RG175
• Candidate application deadline, semifinalists selected

Late Fall 2025

• Semifinalist interviews by Search Committee and FSAC
• Finalists visit PHS for interviews and to meet the community

Winter 2025/2026

• Search Committee recommends candidate for Board of Trustees approval 
• New Head of School announced to the community

July 1, 2026

• New Head of School begins tenure

Please note: The Search Committee understands unanticipated issues may arise and is prepared to adjust the above timeline and process if necessary.
 

The Search Committee is committed to an open and transparent search process. The Search Committee will keep the PHS community informed of our progress through announcements and postings on the PHS Search webpage. The Search Committee will balance our commitment to make this process inclusive and transparent with the need to respect the confidentiality of the candidate recruitment process.

Community members will be able to identify candidates for the position through the community survey that will go out in early fall, and interested candidates can apply through the RG175 website.

Your child’s experience - from their teachers and classroom to the programs and community - will remain consistent and strong.  Our progressive mission, core values and commitment to our students are enduring and will continue during and after the leadership transition.  Lisa will remain Head of School through the end of the 2025-2026 school year.