New Director

February 12, 2025

Dear Cold Spring Community,

Last summer when we learned that Arati would not be returning after the 2024/2025 school year, the Board of Trustees, with the assistance of our consultants with Educators Collaborative, began a search for the next Director of Cold Spring School. The first step in that search was to create a Leadership Profile that was to serve as a guide for our Search Committee as we moved through the search process. We did that with input from many of you. Our charge was to find a candidate with proven expertise in leadership, recruitment, and management; a deep understanding of progressive pedagogy and proven ability to support teachers; and a warm personality, among other qualities. But we also understood that above all, Cold Spring School’s next Director must understand and appreciate the core of “joyful learning” that must be preserved at all costs.  

Although this seemed like a “tall order” we were so pleased to receive 22 completed applications for the position – all from highly qualified candidates.  

From this initial pool, our consultants narrowed our list to 15 candidates. Our pool included 12 women and 3 men; 7 candidates who identified as people of color; 5 candidates from Connecticut, and 9 from other states, as well as one U.S. citizen working abroad. These candidates brought a broad range of experiences to the process, and each presented a unique set of impressive qualities. The Search Committee then reviewed the application materials for these candidates and after careful deliberation, further narrowed the pool to 7 candidates who were invited to interview with the Committee. From this group, the Committee selected 3 finalist candidates who were invited to campus along with their spouses to meet with teachers, administrators, parents, students, trustees, and others. The Committee also conducted a second interview with each candidate, and personally contacted each of the candidates’ references.

After the candidates visited campus, many of you reached out to say that the Search Committee had a difficult job in having to select a single candidate, and we could not agree more! In undertaking this task, the Search Committee and Board have been mindful of the fact that selecting our school’s Director is one of the most important functions of our Board.  But in addition, as a Board, we are deeply invested in the school and its future, and we therefore approached this task with the greatest of care. We carefully reviewed your survey responses, our notes and impressions, and all of the many pieces of information we had collected throughout the search process. The Search Committee then spent several hours meticulously comparing the qualifications of our three finalists to our Leadership Profile.  

After many months of this work, the Cold Spring School Board has unanimously voted to offer the position to Jennifer LeVarge as the next Director of Cold Spring School and we are pleased to announce that Jennifer has agreed to join our community. Jennifer has almost 20 years of experience in education over the course of many diverse educational settings. She has risen through the ranks to leadership positions in which she demonstrated a proven ability to effectively manage and supervise teachers, build enrollment, and create and implement strategic plans. Jennifer’s references were effusive in describing her intellect, work ethic, and passion for education. Jennifer is also compassionate and caring, and the Board is excited to partner with her in the next phase of Cold Spring School’s development.  

The Cold Spring School Board wishes to express our appreciation to all of you who assisted in this process. We especially recognize the efforts of our staff, who (in addition to their usual responsibilities) assisted in planning and organizing the candidates’ visits to campus. We thank Arati for her gracious leadership during this process, which will continue this year as she helps with Jennifer’s onboarding. We appreciate the members of our Advisory Committee – Meg Graustein, Penny Serafin, Phil Wong and Donna DaCosta. And last but not least, we thank our consultants, Sally Mixsell and Carol Santos, who expertly guided us through this process and will continue to partner with us in the coming year to assure a smooth transition for Jennifer. 

Please join us in welcoming Jennifer to our community and please look for more information as we find ways to celebrate and appreciate Arati for her many years of leadership and love for our school. 
 

Jocelyn

Jocelyn B. Hurwitz

President, CSS Board of Trustees