Holland Hall News
Head of School Announcement
Head of School Announcement
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Dear Holland Hall Family,
On behalf of the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees, we are honored and absolutely thrilled to announce the selection of Holland Hall’s next Head of School. Mr. Jared P. (J.P.) Culley has agreed to become the 19th Head of School beginning July 1, 2013. Mr. Culley is currently the Associate Head of School at St. George’s Independent School in Germantown, Tennessee. St. George’s is a coeducational, PreK-12th grade school of more than 1,100 students on three campuses in Memphis, Collierville and Germantown, Tennessee.
Mr. Culley, an accomplished and respected educator, has had many roles while at St. George’s, serving as science faculty member, Director of Academic Studies, Upper School Director, Academic Dean, Interim Middle School Director, coach and an announcer at games as the voice of the Gryphons. He has a strong academic background and was a Klingenstein Summer Institute Fellow at Columbia University in 2003 and received a Master of Arts in Independent School Leadership in 2005. His increasing responsibilities at St. George’s show a proven track record and depth of experience; his profound impact is evident in all aspects of the school. A thoughtful communicator, he has shown his innate ability to relate to students, families and faculty members across divisions and campuses. He inspires educators and fosters an environment where innovative teaching is the norm. He is intelligent, personable and energetic and his leadership style supports and advocates those around him.
After a thorough search process — which included survey feedback from our Holland Hall community, input from the Faculty Advisory Committee and Administrative Team, and counsel from search firm Wickenden Associates — the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees agreed that the school identified an ideal candidate in Mr. Culley, who was not only more than qualified, but perfectly aligned with the values and traditions of Holland Hall. It is clear that Mr. Culley is genuinely excited and committed to being a part of the Holland Hall family. He and his wife Mary, a fellow educator, have a four-year-old son named Louie. There will be opportunities to welcome J.P., Mary and Louie in the coming months.
We would like to thank all of our students, parents, alumni, staff and faculty who participated in this search process. It was an extensive and time consuming effort, but we are confident that this inclusive process made it possible to choose the best match for Holland Hall from a pool of elite professionals. We also want to thank Susan Walters and Jim Wickenden of Wickenden Associates for tirelessly coordinating our successful search process.
Holland Hall is a unique and wonderful community with a future as bright as its past. While our school continues to accomplish great things inside and outside the classroom, there is much still to do. Together, we look forward to our best years ahead.
Sincerely,
Roger B. Collins Keith C. Goddard ’87
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Dear Families, Friends, and Alumni of Holland Hall,
Leading Holland Hall toward the conclusion of its first century of serving the families of Tulsa is a tremendous honor for me. It delights Mary and me to join you toward the endeavor of fostering a meaningful community together. You have evolved an essential and strong educational experience for students. Playing a part in the continued growth of Holland Hall excites me, and the notion of our family actively participating in the life of the school and the broader Tulsa community compelled us to make Holland Hall our home. With great anticipation, we look forward to the experience of simultaneously becoming Tulsans and Dutch!
Holland Hall is a remarkable place. An outstanding school with a strong national reputation, its position among elite independent schools is a testament to the decades of hard work and dedication provided by its faculty, parents, students, alumni, and trustees. True to its mission, my discovery of the responsibility it holds in fostering a respect for, and pursuit of, academic excellence, while simultaneously pushing students to excel in the arts, athletics, and service endeavors is, simply put, unmatched.
Holland Hall fosters in its students a sense of self-reflection, a commitment to contribute beyond the walls of Holland Hall, and a willingness to take healthy risks. Too, the relationships I have experienced and learned about during my search are genuine. Such a culture spoke to Mary and me as we considered the next steps in our professional and personal lives. Indeed, it’s a place where we know our son, Louie, will be challenged and nurtured. A strong sense of community and high academic expectations are important to us. We discovered their coalescence while in college at Sewanee: The University of the South, and have felt the same as participants in the life of St. George’s Independent School. Just as so many before us have placed their faith and interest in the future of Holland Hall, we could not be more thrilled to join a place that is so aware and so vibrant.
Becoming your next Head of School is also a humbling experience for me. Deservedly, the pool of candidates interested in embracing your community and leading it toward the 100-year anniversary was impressively strong. As the process unfolded for my family, and we grew to understand better the feel and promise of Holland Hall, it quickly became our top selection as a place for us to truly “be” in community with others, to serve others, and to embrace the traditions of those before us. These three things will be amidst our top priorities as we grow into our work together with you.
From there, I will work closely with various community members to begin work on the priorities outlined in the Charge to the Head of School. Upon my first reading of them, it became clear that Holland Hall also serves as a frame of mind, articulating to its students and the broader community that it’s not afraid to be in a continual state of becoming. Just as living an interesting life derives from broadening our perspectives and engaging in acts of meaning and substance, so does the life of a school community that values doing good work. To join you is an honor. To lead is a challenge and responsibility I relish.
While we hope to create opportunities for me to return to Tulsa in the coming months, appropriately my focus will be on important work to be done here at St. George’s. You have a truly engaged, energetic, wise, and able leader in Richard Hart. I know he and his team look forward to the coming months and the opportunities to further Holland Hall’s goals.
Please accept our best for the holidays and to the opportunities to be had as members of the Holland Hall community. We look forward to becoming active, engaged community members, alongside you, very soon!
Warmly,
J.P. Culley
