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Tower Hill Names New Head of School

 
Following an extensive search, Tower Hill School’s Board of Trustees has appointed Elizabeth “Bessie” Cromwell Speers as Head of School effective July 1, 2015.
 
Speers joins Tower Hill with nearly 25 years of experience in independent school education. She currently serves as Head of School at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut.
 
A search committee of current and past parents, faculty, staff, trustees and alumni unanimously recommended Speers to the school’s Board of Trustees. Based on feedback from the school community gathered through meetings, surveys and interviews last spring, the committee sought a collaborative leader with a deep understanding of independent schools and broad knowledge of all aspects of a liberal arts education.
 
“Bessie emerged as the candidate best qualified to lead Tower Hill today and in the future because of her warmth, intellect, vision and commitment to continuous learning, combined with the creative, effective leadership she has demonstrated most recently at The Ethel Walker School,” Board Chair Earl Ball said.
 
Speers formerly served as Assistant Head of School, Dean of Faculty, English Teacher and Coach at Episcopal Academy near Philadelphia. Her prior positions include Director of Placement and Strategic Planning at Calvert School in Baltimore; Director of Admission and Financial Aid, Teacher and Coach at The Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore; and Associate Director of Admission, Coach and Adviser at The Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut. She began her career working with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). 
 
A graduate of The Bryn Mawr School, Speers holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middlebury College and a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University. She received a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University’s Teachers College in 2014 and has been active with various professional organizations including the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), The Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE), The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS) and The Heads Network, of which she currently is serving as President.
 
“I am honored to join the Tower Hill community,” Speers said. “The school’s longstanding tradition of excellence and the upcoming centennial provide an extraordinary opportunity to think boldly and collaboratively about Tower Hill’s future as a local and national leader. I look forward to working with the entire Tower Hill community to ensure that our students are well prepared to become engaged citizens in a world that needs their talent and leadership.”
 
Speers will be the tenth Head of School, and first woman to hold the position, in Tower Hill’s 95-year history. Her headship begins on July 1.
 
“Bessie has a true respect for Tower Hill’s history and traditions, and we fully expect her to reflect on that history as she charts our course for the future,” Ball said. 
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