Principal Search Committee Charge - Phillips Exeter Academy

The charge of the Trustees of Phillips Exeter Academy to the Principal Search Committee is to engage in a thoughtful, thorough process to identify, assess, and ultimately recommend the best possible candidate for the Board to consider as Exeter’s 17th Principal. Per the Academy’s bylaws, the Trustees maintain sole responsibility for selecting the next Principal. This charge details the Board’s expectations for the search process and the responsibilities that the Trustees ask the Committee to undertake.

The Committee among other things will:

be representative of the Exeter community. While each member is encouraged to bring their own unique perspective to the Committee’s work, members are asked to serve as an institutional citizen, representing the Academy as a whole and not any particular stakeholder group or constituency.
practice absolute confidentiality in all aspects of the search in perpetuity. The confidentiality includes all information about prospects and candidates as well as all discussions within the Committee.
conduct a search that follows best practices to ensure an unbiased process.
engage in open and honest dialog. Everyone on the Committee is responsible for creating an environment in which each member can openly share their views.
participate actively in all aspects of the search process. The Committee’s work is critical to the future of the Academy, and each member’s judgment and knowledge of Exeter is essential to the success of the Search.

Key responsibilities of the Committee, working in partnership with our search consultant, Perrett Laver, include:

actively seek and thoughtfully consider the perspectives of the Exeter community about what it needs and desires in the next Principal.
develop a Principal position profile with input from the Trustees.
through an active, expansive, and inclusive search, consider a pool of applicants that has exceptional qualifications for the Principal role, is diverse across multiple dimensions, and who understand and embrace Exeter’s mission and values.
conduct interviews with shortlisted and finalist candidates and consider input from other stakeholders engaged in the process.
through the Chair, keep the Exeter community informed of the progress of the search at appropriate milestones. The Chair of the Committee will also make periodic reports to the Trustees about the progress of the search.
share profiles of the finalists and the Committee’s recommendation of a preferred candidate with the Trustees. This information will be kept strictly confidential.
support the successful transition of the next Principal, as appropriate.