Dear SAAS Community:
It’s with excitement that we share with you two important and related announcements regarding the future of our school’s leadership. The first: Rob Phillips has agreed to extend his Head of School term to 2030. We’re thrilled to have in his leadership a deep commitment to the mission and culture of SAAS that is focused on an innovative expression of that mission into the future.
The second announcement: we’re equally thrilled to announce that Giselle Furlonge has agreed to continue the SAAS tradition of shared leadership. Beginning July 1, 2025, Giselle will serve as Co-Head of School with Rob in a shared leadership model similar to the partnerships of Jean, Joe, and Rob, becoming the school’s fourth Head of School in 43 years.
Giselle’s agreement runs through the 2027-28 school year, and it is our shared hope and intention to extend both of their agreements. This year’s 6th graders are the class of 2031, and SAAS will turn 50 in 2033, dates that Giselle and Rob have frequently referenced as future markers that frame their vision, planning, and commitment to SAAS.
Rob was hired by founding Head of School Jean Orvis as a teacher, coach, and trip leader in 1991. In 2009, he became Associate Head of School, working closely with Joe Puggelli, the second Head at SAAS. In 2016, Rob was announced as SAAS’s third Head of School.
Rob’s leadership has been characterized by his strategic insight and entrepreneurial mindset, as well as his ability to balance the past and his deep history at SAAS with a willingness to consider and implement mission-centered change. Rob was instrumental in the creation of SAAS hallmark programs ranging from the 8th grade Seattle Challenge experience to the Senior Yukon Trip, the American Studies course, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovations courses.
Giselle joined SAAS as Head of the Upper School in the fall of 2019 and became Associate Head of School in the fall of 2021, leading with focus, clarity, and expertise. Giselle brings to SAAS a national reputation as a thought leader in her approach to education, her commitment to teaching and learning, her deep curiosity about what’s possible, and her unwavering belief in the transformative role schools can and should play in the lives of students.
As we noted above, Giselle’s shift from Associate Head to Co-Head will take effect for the 2025-26 school year, and between now and then we’ll continue to provide more specificity regarding role clarity and areas of focus and responsibility for Rob and for Giselle. To a large degree, their leadership and “who to go to for what” is a continuation of what has been in place for the past several years.
Organizational structures in schools usually have two main branches, with one branch covering the operational side, which includes finance, facilities, development, marketing and communications, and admissions. The second branch typically focuses on student-facing programs and functions, which includes the academic program, teaching and learning, counseling, and co-curricular programs like athletics, the arts, speech and debate, and robotics.
In general, Rob has been and will continue to provide primary oversight of the operations branch, with input from Giselle. Admissions is indicative of that partnership; the Admissions/Enrollment Management and Marketing/Communications teams report to Rob, but Giselle provides crucial input and guidance on admissions decisions and communication of the academic program and student life to prospective families. Meanwhile, Giselle will continue to focus on the student-facing programs and functions. To that end, the Middle School, Upper School, and Academic Leadership teams will continue to report to Giselle, with Rob providing additional direction and feedback based on his many years as a classroom teacher and educational leader.
That’s the “What.” Now for the “Why.”
The term “Adaptive Leadership” has a long history at SAAS, and has been a feature of SAAS strategic thinking for years. We believe that a shared leadership approach as an expression of adaptive leadership fosters a dynamic and responsive educational environment, and meets the evolving needs of our students, families, faculty, and staff.
While the terminology varies from co-heads to President/Executive Director and Head of School, independent schools are increasingly exploring shared leadership, and it’s a model that the National Association of Independent Schools is urging schools to consider.
And, as Rob and Giselle have articulated to the Board as we’ve made this decision: “For us, the old saying that ‘two heads are better than one’ isn’t just a metaphor — it’s an approach to leadership that we believe in. It’s a model that reflects the opportunities and challenges for schools now and into the future; it’s a model that SAAS has followed in various forms since its inception; and it’s the model that has reflected our leadership together these past five years.”
In the following video, Giselle and Rob talk more about their partnership past, present, and future. Please join us in congratulating Rob and Giselle as they continue to jointly lead SAAS into the exciting next chapters of the ongoing SAAS story.
Sincerely,
The Seattle Academy Board of Trustees Executive Committee
Matt Echohawk-Hayashi, Board Chair, DEI Task Force Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
Martinique Grigg, Board Vice Chair, Capital Campaign Committee
Mark Vadon, Board Vice Chair, Capital Campaign Co-Chair, Finance Committee
Angela Gaynor, Board Treasurer, Finance Committee Chair, Capital Campaign Committee
Claudia Hung, Board Secretary, Capital Campaign Committee Co-Chair
Aravind Swaminathan, Risk Management Committee Chair
|