Dear Houston Christian Family and Friends,

With Dr. Livingston’s decision to retire as Houston Christian High School’s (Houston Christian) Head of School effective June 2023, a search for a new Head of School begins. Houston Christian’s Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for selecting our new Head, and is committed to a process which is inclusive, transparent, and broadly focused. To support and facilitate this very important task, Chairman of the Board of Trustees Mike Gustafson has requested that I Chair the Head of School Search Committee, and I have accepted. 

The Board has appointed a Search Committee to guide and oversee the search process. I am humbled and blessed to serve with this talented team that is passionate about identifying the best candidate to lead our school. All the Search Committee members have a strong connection to Houston Christian; they include parents of alumni and current students, retired faculty, and current and former trustees. And, while he is not a member of the Committee, we are thankful that Dr. Livingston has offered to make himself available as a resource to the Committee and the new Head of School. 

One of the Committee’s first assignments was to identify and select an executive search firm to work with the Committee and the Board. Several search firms were identified and interviewed. The Committee recommended and the Board of Trustees selected The Education Group (TEG), a nationally recognized search firm specializing in recruiting heads and other senior administrators for independent schools. 

Our search will be led by Dr. John Cooper and Dr. Susan Lair. Both John and Susan have extensive experience as heads of independent schools, as well as many years of consulting experience and broad networks in the Texas market. Perhaps most importantly, they both have a passion for understanding a school’s unique culture and needs and finding the ideal recruit who fits that niche at a particular point in time. Please see additional biographical information for John and Susan below:

John and Susan will be on the Houston Christian campus Tuesday, May 17th. Their visit will include an intense effort to meet in focus groups with administrators, faculty, staff, and students. They will also spend time with the Search Committee, members of the Board of Trustees, and other members of the Houston Christian community, including parents.

Additionally, as part of their discovery process, John and Susan have created an online Survey Questionnaire to solicit confidential perspectives from the entire Houston Christian community. Survey Questionnaires sent to parents, employees, trustees, and friends of school provide vital information about the hopes and dreams of the Houston Christian community. Survey results and information shared during focus meetings help our consultants develop a detailed document that includes a School and Position Profile, highlighting the personal and professional qualities and qualifications Houston Christian seeks in its next Head of School. In addition, the survey helps to engage, inform, and provide transparency to the Houston Christian community, including many who are eager to participate in and support the search process. Please see the link to the Survey Questionnaire included in this email. We encourage everyone to participate in this critical process and share your candid views. Responses are due by May 20, 2022. 

We are currently targeting a mid-June deadline for applications and will spend the coming months assessing the candidates and narrowing the field. We anticipate that the Board will have selected our next Head of School by the end of this year. This selection timing will give our new Head of School appropriate time to give proper notice to his or her current employer and to work with Dr. Livingston to ensure a smooth transition. 

We will keep you apprised of our progress throughout the search process. Should you have questions about the search process that are not answered in our routine communications, please direct all inquiries to me by email.

While we congratulate Dr. Livingston on his decision to retire as Houston Christian’s Head of School and celebrate the almost twenty-five years of tremendous success Houston Christian has experienced under his leadership, we look forward to Houston Christian’s next chapter and helping the Board find the best possible person to build on the outstanding school and organization that Dr. Livingston has been so instrumental in creating. Thanks to all of you for your commitment to this process. We cherish your prayers for Houston Christian and this search process as we proceed.

Very truly yours,

Kevin M. McDonald