Board of Trustees Announces 2024-25 Interim Head of School

“We believe Jon has just the right professional qualifications and personal characteristics to lead KCD in this year of transition,” stated Hank Alford ’85, Chair of the Board of Trustees, in a letter to the community.

For twenty-nine years, Jon served at The Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas, the last fifteen of which he was Head of School. During his time as Head of School, his fundraising efforts raised millions of dollars toward building the Quinn Kindergarten Center, developing the Oakridge Athletic Complex, and growing the school’s endowment. He also led the development of a culture of community and caring, leading the school successfully through the pandemic and other challenges.

Jon led the educational community beyond Oakridge. While Head at Oakridge, Jon served as a member of the Board of the Texas Private Schools Association, Chair of the Board of the Southwest Preparatory Conference, and the Executive Board Secretary and member of the Board of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS). He also chaired several visiting teams charged with re-accreditation of ISAS member schools.

A graduate of Texas Christian University with a BS in Education, Jon earned his Master of Education degree in Administration from TCU. He attended the School Leadership Development Institute at Stanford and the Klingenstein Heads of School Program at Columbia.

Since retiring from The Oakridge School in 2022, Jon opened his own consulting firm. In his two years as a consultant, Jon has done leadership consulting and executive coaching of heads, assistant heads, and senior administrators. Some of the top independent schools in the Southwest have engaged Jon and benefited from his experience and expertise.

Jon was the enthusiastic recommendation of KCD’s Head of School Search Committee, which Ross Cohen and Dr. Swapna Chandran chaired. Over thirty candidates from across the country were vetted by our consultants from The Education Group who recommended nine individuals for the committee’s consideration. The committee conducted extended interviews with six candidates, ultimately inviting two finalists to visit the campus.

See the full announcement and additional details about KCD’s Head of School Search online at www.kcd.org/about/head-of-school-search.