St. Mary's Head of School Search

The Head of School Search Committee is moving forward with its work and would like your input. Our consultants at The Education Group are gathering input from our community about the strengths of St. Mary’s and the qualities you believe are most important in our next Head of School. Your anonymous feedback will help guide the search and ensure candidates understand our mission and values and will help shape the qualities we seek in our next Head of School. 

Community Engagement Survey

Please complete the survey by Friday, Dec. 5. Thank you for sharing your perspective as we seek a Head who will honor St. Mary’s legacy and welcome a bright, new chapter.

With gratitude,

Susan Whitten Graber ’86
Search Committee, Co-Chair
Board of Trustees, Chair

Jeffrey Block
Search Committee, Co-Chair
Board of Trustees 

Dear St. Mary’s Community,

We are pleased to update you on the progress of our search for the next Head of School. We have assembled a Search Committee comprising current and former Board members, parents, and alumnae. They know and love St. Mary’s and bring both expertise and heartfelt commitment to this important work.

The role of the Search Committee is to organize the search, conduct the initial vetting of candidates, interview semifinalists, arrange finalist visits, and ultimately recommend one candidate to the Board of Trustees, which has the responsibility to hire the Head.

Search Committee Members

• Amina Dilawari ’95 — Current trustee, alumna, Lower School parent
• Robert Fogelman — Past board chair, Upper School parent
• Margaret Frazier Gardner ’85 — Past board chair, alumna, parent of an alumna
• Gretchen Wollert McLennon ’93 — Past trustee, alumna, aunt of an alumna
• Anne-Morgan Brookfield Morgan ’99 — Current trustee, alumna, Middle and Upper School parent
• Lisa Breazeale Roberts ’85 — Current trustee, alumna, parent of alumnae
• Hunter Witherington — Current trustee, Upper School parent

We’re grateful for the care and thoughtfulness this group is bringing to the search.

Community Engagement Survey

As shared previously, we are committed to engaging the St. Mary’s community in the search process. In the upcoming weeks, you will receive a survey from our consultants at The Education Group. We invite you to reflect on the strengths of St. Mary’s and the qualities you believe are most important in our next Head of School. Your feedback will help guide the search and ensure candidates understand our mission and values.

On-Campus Listening Sessions

Our consultants, Katherine Stuart and Dave Davies, will be on campus December 8-10. During their visit, they will host open sessions to hear directly from parents and faculty.

Parent Meetings

• Tuesday, December 9 at 2 p.m. | Dining Hall, Athletic and Wellness Center
• Wednesday, December 10 at 8:30 a.m. | Dining Hall, Athletic and Wellness Center

Parent Listening Session RSVP

Faculty and Staff Meetings

• Monday, December 8 at 3:45 p.m. | Liza’s Library, Moss Hall
• Tuesday, December 10 at 3:30 p.m. | Dining Hall, Athletic and Wellness Center

Faculty and Staff Listening Session RSVP

Written Feedback

If you would like to share written feedback directly with our consultants, they may be reached at:

• katherine@educationgroup.com
• dave@educationgroup.com

If you have any questions about the search process, please reach out to us. Thank you for your continued support as we discern the next steps for St. Mary’s bright future.

With gratitude,

Susan Whitten Graber ’86
Search Committee, Co-Chair
Board of Trustees, Chair

Jeffrey Block
Search Committee, Co-Chair
Board of Trustees 

Dear St. Mary’s Community,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are pleased to share an update on the search for our next Head of School.

We are deeply grateful to Head of School Albert Throckmorton for providing a two-year window to conduct a thoughtful and thorough search for his successor. This timeframe allows us to approach this important process with care, reflection, and the broad engagement of the St. Mary’s community.

After interviewing several firms, the Board has engaged The Education Group (TEG) to partner with our search committee. TEG is a nationally recognized search and consulting firm with more than thirty years of experience serving independent schools across the country. While the firm includes twenty consultants nationwide, our primary contacts will be Katherine Stuart and Dave Davies.

Katherine, the President of TEG, has led searches for a number of Episcopal and girls schools and is herself a graduate of an Episcopal school. She lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, where her husband serves as Head of an Episcopal school. Dave has served as Head of an Episcopal school and as the founding Upper School Head at another. He has also led numerous searches for Episcopal and girls schools.

TEG is known for its inclusive and community-based approach. Early this winter, Katherine and Dave will invite input from the St. Mary’s community through an online survey and will spend parts of three days on campus meeting members of our community. Later in the process, when finalists visit campus, there will be additional opportunities to gather feedback from the community.

We will share updates throughout the process on our Head of School Search page on the St. Mary’s website. We warmly invite your participation and encourage you to stay engaged as we move forward.

Thank you in advance for your prayers, support, and partnership as we embark on this important chapter in St. Mary’s history.

With gratitude,

Susan Whitten Graber ’86
Search Committee, Co-Chair
Board of Trustees, Chair

Jeffrey Block
Search Committee, Co-Chair
Board of Trustees 

 

Dear St. Mary’s Community, 

We are truly blessed to have had Albert Throckmorton at the helm of St. Mary’s for over 13 years. It is rare for a school to be the beneficiary of such a long and impactful Head of School tenure.

In his time as the Head of School at St. Mary’s, Albert has spearheaded two major capital projects – the Athletic and Wellness Center and the renovation and expansion of Moss Hall  –increased our endowment, led our COVID response, guided our community through grief and celebration, and built an administrative team that has elevated the school to a new level of excellence.

In addition to these tremendous accomplishments, Albert has been St. Mary’s’ most enthusiastic cheerleader and advocate for all-girls education. He can be found on any given afternoon supporting our Turkeys at sporting events, mock trial sessions, and plays (even making cameo appearances in shows such as Annie and Our Town). His chapel talks are legendary and whip-smart, as are his ever-present bow ties.

Albert has been a leader beyond our campus as well, serving as Vice President of One Schoolhouse, Trustee for both the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), President of the Memphis Association of Independent Schools (MAIS), and President of the Heads Collegiate Forum. He is highly respected – locally, regionally, and nationally – for his expertise gained from over 30 years in independent school administration and leadership.

The St. Mary’s Board of Trustees is looking toward the future by conducting a national search for our next Head of School. Jeffrey Block, a St. Mary’s Trustee and parent, has agreed to join me in co-chairing the search committee, and we are presently interviewing national search firms to guide us in this process. As Albert has mentioned, St. Mary’s is well-positioned to attract a talented leader. He will continue to serve as head through the 2026-27 school year, which will give us plenty of runway to conduct such a search, as well as time to celebrate him and the many contributions he has made to St. Mary's.

Albert, thank you for all you have done to make St. Mary’s the premier school for girls – the #1 in Tennessee! We owe so much to your stewardship.

Sincerely yours,

Susan Whitten Graber ’86
Chair, St. Mary’s Board of Trustees

Dear St. Mary’s Community,

With gratitude and deep love for this community, I will complete my tenure as St. Mary’s Head of School in the Spring of 2027. In giving the Board of Trustees nearly two years’ notice, I intend to place the search for the next head in the best possible position.

When I first joined St. Mary’s in 2004, I was impressed by the school's academic excellence and caring community. Eight years later, when the Board appointed me as head, I described St. Mary’s as “old and improved.” It is an institution that knows its core strengths, cherishes its traditions, and lives out its values. At the same time, it is a school that continually innovates to serve each girl’s future.

Over the years, it has been a joy to know St. Mary’s alumnae transformed by this school and to be inspired by parents who understand the power of this community. It has been an honor to work alongside the most devoted faculty and staff I have known in my 36-year career, and to share the leadership with a dedicated and supportive board and an amazingly talented team of administrators.

St. Mary’s is poised for a remarkable next chapter. We are the #1 girls school in Tennessee and are known nationally among an exceptional group of peer schools. We are debt-free, and our campus master plan is complete. We are supported by a strong Board of Trustees and a healthy school-church partnership. We are a caring community defined by our Episcopal tradition of embracing everyone. Our faculty and staff make this school daily one of excellence, belonging, honor, and courage. And among all of these strengths, our students shine brightest.

My headship began 13 years ago when the youngest students were in PK (before our two-year-old St. Mary’s Place program existed). In May 2027, I will commence with that same group of students. The next two years will allow me time to properly thank all who have strengthened St. Mary’s and give the Trustees sufficient time to select the school’s next leader. I look forward to more collaboration, achievement, and dreaming as we continue to challenge and support each girl to discover her unique purpose and reach her individual potential.

In Light and Life,

 

 

Albert Throckmorton
Head of School