DEAN OF ACADEMICS SEARCH
MARIN ACADEMY
San Rafael, California
ma.org

Start Date: July 2023

CARNEYSANDOE.COM

The Search Group | Carney, Sandoe & Associates page 1

Mission Statement
Marin Academy asks every individual to think, question, and create in
an environment of encouragement and compassion and challenges
each person to accept the responsibilities posed by education in a
democratic society.

At a Glance

Established Enrollment Total Faculty Student-faculty ratio

1971 448 65 8.3:1

Students of color Financial aid awarded Faculty with advanced degrees Campus size

35% $4M 70% 11-acres

Faculty of color: 34% Endowment: $18.3M

Students receiving aid: 20% Annual operating budget: $24M

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Overview
“Think. Question. Create.” Marin Academy (MA) located in San Rafael, CA, just north of San Francisco,
is a co-ed, day school serving students grades 9-12 and has long been a leader in progressive education.
At present, MA is just over halfway through an ambitious strategic plan that emphasizes interdisciplinary
and transdisciplinary teaching and learning, competency-based education, and equity and inclusion.

Marin Academy seeks a visionary curricular and pedagogical leader to serve as Dean of Academics
beginning July 1, 2023. The Dean of Academics is a senior leadership position that focuses on guiding
and leading the School in its progressive educational model while helping it become a more equitable
and inclusive institution. Reporting directly to the Head of School, the responsibilities of the Dean of
Academics include leadership at the institutional, academic, administrative, and cultural levels of the
School. Ideal candidates will be progressive educational leaders who have demonstrated experience
with and commitment to competency-based education, strong facility in leading, managing, structuring,
and supporting change, and a compassionate, collaborative, energetic, and community-oriented
workstyle.

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Opportunities and Challenges
Lead the work in progress
MA centers learning on five school-wide competencies: Demonstrated Empathy, Imaginative Curiosity,
Intellectual Flexibility, Compelling Expression, and Strategic Boldness. Articulating, adopting, and
integrating the competencies into the DNA of the MA has been a years-long collaboration as well as
a source of institutional pride. With this framework in place and the work underway, the next Dean of
Academics must possess a passion for competency-based, progressive pedagogy, a desire to continue
to translate this work to all MA constituents, and the demonstrated leadership skills to push forward and
bring others along.

Elevate signature programs
Transdisciplinary experiential learning is central to the MA experience, and the Transdisciplinary
Leadership Program (TLP) has been launched. The heart of the TLP is a two-block course in which
students explore the nuances and perspectives of a social issue and respond to it in partnership with
outside organizations. Inquiry, outreach, and the ability to draw from multiple disciplines underpin other
MA programs, including the Marin Academy Research Collaborative (MARC), and distinguish MA as
a leader in world of progressive secondary education. The next Dean of Academics will support the
continued development and refinement of such programs.

Manage the visionary and the day-to-day
The Dean of Academics manages a broad scope of responsibilities, from academic vision and curricular
coherence to learning support systems to the master schedule. This leader must have the ability to move
with ease between the wide-angle lens of strategic visioning and systems analysis to the narrower lens
of showing up with empathy to navigate challenging situations with students, faculty, and parents.

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Willingness to refine a work in progress
Change and innovation may bring unintended consequences, and the next Dean of Academics will
embody Imaginative Curiosity and Intellectual Flexibility in order to frame and collaboratively interrogate
thorny pedagogical issues as they arise. For example, how will the school manage the natural tension
between benchmarks in a school calendar and the commitment to allowing students time and ample
opportunities to demonstrate a given competency? What consistent practices will provide support for
faculty and clarity for students? This leader must have the ability to hold and explore ambiguity as MA
works through these kinds of compelling questions.

Support and manage a diverse team
The Dean of Academics supervises the Director of Learning Services, Registrar, Director of Technology,
Director of College Counseling, and Library Director. Each direct report represents an important part of
MA’s academic program. The next Dean of Academics will seek to learn with and from their colleagues,
to grow their understanding of these areas, and to provide the corresponding directors with the support
and resources needed to continue to strengthen MA’s educational program and support students and
faculty.

Tell the story and know the audience
MA is pushing against the old ways of doing school, and each year new families, prospective families,
new faculty, and new trustees will need to be educated about competency-based and transdisciplinary
education. The Dean of Academics, along with other members of the Senior Leadership Team, must
tell the why and how of this story. How does competency-based learning support academic rigor? What
does current research add to this conversation? How do colleges respond to these approaches, and
what do alumni say about their preparation for continued learning? The Dean of Academics must be a
clear and compelling communicator with authentic passion and credibility.

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Qualifications and Personal Attributes
The position requires someone with a deep, personal commitment to teaching excellence combined
with a commitment to a progressive approach to curriculum and pedagogy. Marin Academy seeks
candidates who are natural strategic thinkers and who possess high levels of emotional intelligence as
well as excellent organizational and communication skills. The ideal candidate will offer most, if not all,
of these characteristics:

• The flexibility and collaborative spirit necessary to partner with other members of the senior

• An attention to the systems and policies that enable Marin Academy to run effectively;
• Experience as a curricular leader, facilitating connections across divisions and departments;
• Classroom teaching experience and a track record of supporting and developing teaching faculty;
• A spirit of curiosity that fuels pursuit of evolving best practices and current research on curriculum

support critical conversations in the design of ever more inclusive culture, curriculum, pedagogy,
and programs;

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate orally and in writing with inspiration and

• A relational leadership style built on approachability, transparency, and responsiveness;
• The ability to articulate vision and strategy, the tactical skills necessary to deftly manage the systems

and processes necessary to implement strategy, the organizational fluency to manage multiple
streams of information and respond to situations as they emerge;

• Experience recruiting, hiring, supporting, retaining, and leading talented, diverse, and mission-

• The ability to navigate complexity, in part through effective prioritization, delegation, and management

• The confidence and humility to advocate for and embrace new ideas, invite disagreement, and

• Joy and delight in working with teenagers and their families as well as the ability to set clear

• Bachelor’s degree required, advanced degree strongly preferred.

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Learn More
Click on the links below to learn more about Marin Academy.

School Website Virtual Campus Tour

The MA Competencies School Profile

Strategic Plan Detailed Job Description

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion About San Rafael, California

Signature Programs

To Apply
Interested and qualified candidates are invited to contact the consultants in confidence. Candidates will
ultimately need to submit the following materials as separate PDF documents:

• A cover letter expressing their interest in this particular position;
• A current résumé;
• A list of five professional references with name, relationship, phone number, and email address of

each (references will not be contacted without the candidate’s permission) to:

Jennifer Wong Christensen
Senior Search Consultant
jennifer.christensen@carneysandoe.com

Karen Whitaker
Senior Search Consultant
karen.whitaker@carneysandoe.com

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