Subject: Head of School Announcement Dear Members of the MPA Community, On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we are delighted to announce that Mercedes Sheppard will be Morgan Park Academys next Head of School, effective immediately. As we have seen throughout her 18 years at the Academy, most recently during her tenure as interim head this school year, Mercedes is an outstanding leader and collaborator with a passion for education. We cannot imagine a better person to lead MPA at this important time in the school’s history. As an Assistant Head of School for 13 years, Mercedes excels at bringing change with consensus and buy-in from all stakeholders. The Board admires her commitment to the MPA mission; her tremendous support of our faculty, students, and parents; and her deep understanding of the Academy’s balance of tradition and innovation. She has brought experience, stability, and professionalism to uphold our school’s long history of academic excellence. Mercedes holds Master of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degrees from DePaul University. She joined the Academy as an accounting teacher in 1996 after eight years as an Officer in the Treasury and Capital Markets division of ABN Amro Bank, and became an Assistant Head of School in 2000. We want to thank the many parents, faculty, students, alumni, administrators, and staff who aided us in this search, helping to articulate and reflect upon the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for Morgan Park Academy in the coming years. The strong positive feedback we received for Mercedes from all constituents and her performance as interim head played a significant factor in cementing our decision. We particularly wish to extend our gratitude to the search committee and to trustees Beverly Biggs and Linda Klawitter, whose academic expertise and educational experience were greatly appreciated. The selection of our Head of School is the Board’s highest responsibility, and they ensured that we approached this process with great care and diligence. Please join me in congratulating Mercedes Sheppard. I look forward to all we will accomplish under her leadership as our next Head of School. Regards, Rajeev Rathi ’84 Chair Morgan Park Academy Board of Trustees - - - - - - - - Dear Parents, Alumni, and Friends, Humbled by the extraordinary legacy and potential of Morgan Park Academy, I am excited, grateful, and truly honored to lead a school that has been my home away from home for nearly 20 years. The role of Head of School carries with it many challenges, but I am confident I can serve our students, parents, faculty, alumni, and staff with skill, energy, and compassion. Since joining the MPA community in 1996, I have learned so much from scores of outstanding teachers and administrators who shared a genuine love of our school and a commitment to fostering an environment of authentic teaching and learning. It is my great fortune to inherit an Academy tradition kept vital by strong leadership through many decades. As we prepare for next school year and beyond, I look forward to working with our new Board of Trustees chair, Raj Rathi, and all of our dedicated board members to continue to build the future of Morgan Park Academy. I am eager to continue promoting the love of educational excellence in our amazing faculty and helping our students learn outside the confines of the classroom to become leading members of our global society, grateful for opportunities and empathic to the needs of others. And equally important, I am excited to connect with parents and alumni, partnering with all segments of the MPA community as we work together to ensure a future for MPA as brilliant as the past 141 years. Sincerely, Mercedes Z. Sheppard Head of School
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 00:01:23 +0000
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