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Head of School Announcement
March 2, 2023
Dear Pinecrest Community,
We are very excited to announce that Darren Holgate has enthusiastically accepted the invitation of the Board of Directors to be the next head of school at Pinecrest! We are thrilled to welcome Darren, his wife Julie, and their three daughters into the Pinecrest community.
In October 2022, the Search Committee began the extensive process of recruiting the strongest and best-matched candidates to our school via a national search, in partnership with our consultant, Tracy Bennett of Educators Collaborative. The Search Committee was excited and encouraged early on in the process. Interest in the position was incredibly high and the candidate pool was strong, and diverse.
From an initial candidate pool of eleven, the Search Committee narrowed the pool to eight semifinalist candidates who were invited to participate in confidential interviews with the Search Committee. Following these interviews, three finalists and their spouses/partners were invited to visit the school, where they met in a variety of formats with faculty and staff, parents, students, administrators, alumni, and Board members. After reviewing feedback from all stakeholders, the Search Committee voted unanimously to recommend Darren as the next head of school at Pinecrest. The Board of Directors met and discussed the Search Committee’s recommendation and unanimously approved the Search Committee’s recommendation.
While Darren will officially begin his headship on July 1, 2023, he will begin to visit campus in the coming days to learn about the school and get to know the community in partnership with Nicole and the Board of Directors. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Darren when you see him on campus!
Darren brings to Pinecrest many years of experience as a teacher, Director of Academic Technology, Lower School Director, and Middle School Director. Darren holds a Bachelor of Education degree from England and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership and Technology Integration in Independent Schools from John Hopkins University.
During Darren’s educational career, he has been involved in virtually every facet of the school, including faculty growth and professional development, introducing new school-wide initiatives, such as Responsive Classroom for student’s social and emotional growth, serving on committees for VAIS accreditation, and importantly, successfully led Powhatan School through the pandemic in partnership with the Lower Division Director and Head of School. Darren’s wealth of educational experience, positivity, and passion for students and education make him an excellent addition to the Pinecrest community.
We are incredibly grateful for the community’s engagement throughout the search process. We thank all of you who welcomed and hosted our candidates and thoughtfully completed the feedback surveys after each visit. Your input was integral to the Search Committee’s recommendation to the Board, and we truly thank each of you.
We would like to extend a special thanks to our fellow Search Committee members who devoted many hours and care to the search process, and also extend our thanks to the Pinecrest Board of Directors for their outstanding leadership. We are also especially grateful for the guidance and support of our consultant, Tracy Bennett.
We would like to extend a special thanks to our fellow Search Committee members who devoted many hours and care to the search process, and also extend our thanks to the Pinecrest Board of Directors for their outstanding leadership. We are also especially grateful for the guidance and support of our consultant, Tracy Bennett.
We want to sincerely thank Nicole, Cynthia, Ragan, Linda, and all the faculty and staff at Pinecrest for their time, feedback, and hospitality. The candidate visits would not have been possible without them.
Lastly, we want to say a special thank you to Nicole, for her 19 years of service to Pinecrest, and for supporting the search process from the very beginning. We are very grateful for her continued work and commitment to make the transition in school leadership a smooth one. Thank you, Nicole!
We are so excited to welcome Darren into the Pinecrest community and look forward to a bright future together.