Exceptional Executive Search for Independent and Faith-Based Schools

For over 30 years, Educational Directions has been a trusted partner for independent and faith-based schools, leading hundreds of successful leadership searches.

“Educational Directions deeply understood our community and guided a thoughtful, inclusive, and well-structured search. Their experience, empathy, and steady focus helped us find the right leader and strengthen our community through meaningful reflection. We highly recommend them to any school undertaking a leadership transition.”

Board Chair • Abington, PA

“We had a great experience working with the partners at Educational Directions. Their expertise and sound judgment helped our school reach a whole new level.”

Board Chair • Denver, CO

“This was the best search process I’ve experienced. The communication, preparation, and overall handling were thoughtful, organized, and allowed me to put my best foot forward. If I’m ever in a position to hire a school leader, Educational Directions will be my first call.”

Semifinalist Candidate • Raleigh, NC

At a Glance

Heads & Presidents

Choosing your next school leader is one of the most important decisions your community will make. But navigating a leadership search is complex, ﬁlled with pressure, competing priorities, and limited time.

For more than three decades we have been the leaders in improving leadership searches; studied the changing expectations of school heads; researched the leadership attributes of successful school heads; and created a worldwide network of sources for candidates.

We approach your search with an understanding that a head of school search is about more than ﬁlling a role; it’s about shaping the future of your school. Through our proven, mission-driven process, we guide your search with the care, clarity, and rigor it deserves to deliver lasting results.

At a Glance

Catholic Schools

Partners Mathew and Risa Oganesoff Heersche have been involved in searches for a number of Catholic schools, both religiously sponsored and diocesan, in their quests for new presidents or heads of school. Each school required a different skill set from its new leader based upon current needs, the context of the search, and other circumstances involved in the transition of leadership.

For religiously sponsored schools, Matt and Risa have been skillful in understanding the charism of the religious group(s) sponsoring the school and how this informs the mission and core values of the institution.

The relationships that they have developed over many years of working in independent and Catholic schools offer an invaluable resource for finding and engaging the highest quality candidates. Their networks span a broad range of resources in independent schools, Catholic schools (diocesan, religiously sponsored and independent), higher education (particularly those universities with Catholic Educational Leadership Programs), international schools, and more.

At a Glance

Specialized expertise in Catholic school leadership
Experience with diocesan and religiously sponsored schools
Deep understanding of religious charism and mission alignment
Extensive network across Catholic, independent, and international schools
Decades of trusted relationships to engage top candidates

At a Glance

Specialized expertise in Catholic school leadership
Experience with diocesan and religiously sponsored schools
Deep understanding of religious charism and mission alignment
Extensive network across Catholic, independent, and international schools
Decades of trusted relationships to engage top candidates

At a Glance

Tailored searches aligned with your school’s strategic priorities
Full-service recruitment, interviews, and reference checking
Expertise managing internal or connected candidate challenges
Experienced in placing leaders across key administrative roles

Senior Administrators

We partner with you to thoroughly understand your school’s strategic priorities and deliver exceptional results with senior administrative searches. A strong leadership team is a critical component to the success of a head of school. Engage Educational Directions to assist with recruitment, interviewing, reference checking, and onboarding a new hire for your team, so you can stay focused on the day-to-day work of leading your school.

We will meet with relevant constituency groups in your community, draft a position proﬁle, actively recruit candidates from our vast database of contacts, manage an initial interview process, present you with semiﬁnalist candidates, help you structure interviewing, scheduling and process, support your search with thorough reference-checking, and oﬀer advice as you hone in on a ﬁnal selection through the negotiation.

Our team can help you manage the logistics of running a critical search, while also navigating the challenges of internal or connected candidates, allowing you to keep your attention and energy where it is needed most. Each search is tailored to the speciﬁc needs and requirements of the school and is facilitated directly by our search consultants.

At a Glance

Tailored searches aligned with your school’s strategic priorities
Full-service recruitment, interviews, and reference checking
Expertise managing internal or connected candidate challenges
Experienced in placing leaders across key administrative roles

Interim Head of School

As you consider appointing an interim head of school, we will help you understand why, after a sudden or tumultuous departure or the departure of a long- tenured head, an interim head of school might offer the best solution in a time of transition.

Our experienced search consultants, many of whom have served as interim heads themselves, offer a timely and effective process for finding the right candidates. We maintain a database of over 200 experienced independent school leaders interested in serving as interim heads.

Before, during, and after the search we will help you understand how to achieve the best results with an interim head of school placement. We welcome your call for details and consultation on how to make the most of a school year with an interim head of school.

At a Glance

Guidance on whether an interim head is the right solution
Strategic clarity on short- and long-term school goals
Access to 200+ experienced interim school leaders
Coaching for boards on best practices for interim searches
Cost-effective process led by former interim heads

At a Glance

Guidance on whether an interim head is the right solution
Strategic clarity on short- and long-term school goals
Access to 200+ experienced interim school leaders
Coaching for boards on best practices for interim searches
Cost-effective process led by former interim heads

At a Glance

Internal candidates can provide long-term, mission-aligned leadership
Benefits include established relationships and institutional knowledge
Cost-effective alternative to a full external search
Expertise designing fair, transparent internal evaluation processes

Internal Candidates

Considering an internal candidate to become your next head of school is an option frequently ignored in independent schools. About 80% of the new CEOs at the top S&P 500 firms are hired internally. Why isn’t a similar practice more frequent at independent schools?

An internal candidate brings familiarity with the school and its opportunities and challenges, established relationships, clarity about where they may need support, and the avoidance of the cost and disruption of a comprehensive search process.

The Board of Trustees has a few options in considering internal candidates. They may decide not to consider internal candidates because the bench strength isn’t there or “fresh eyes” are needed. They may welcome internal candidates into a comprehensive search process, generally with an understanding that internal candidates will be interviewed by the Search Committee. Or, they may evaluate and possibly appoint an internal candidate prior to launching a full, comprehensive search.

In our experience assisting schools with internal appointments, we have planned and implemented an evaluation for the internal candidate that left no doubt that the candidate had experienced a fair, transparent, inclusive, and rigorous process.

At a Glance

Internal candidates can provide long-term, mission-aligned leadership
Benefits include established relationships and institutional knowledge
Cost-effective alternative to a full external search
Expertise designing fair, transparent internal evaluation processes

Let's Find the Right Leader Together

Discover how our thoughtful, mission-driven approach consistently delivers exceptional leaders who strengthen schools, inspire confidence, and shape lasting success.