TINTON FALLS – The Ranney School Board of Trustees has unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Head of School Search Committee to appoint Dr. John Griffith as Ranney School’s fourth Head of School.
Griffith is expected to join the Ranney community July 1, 2013. His wife, Dana, and their 4-year-old daughter, Claire, are looking forward to moving back up north to be closer to family and their New Jersey roots.
Griffith spent eight years at the Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tenn. During his tenure there, he served in two different roles, first as headmaster working with the president of the school and, for the past four years, in the traditional role of head of school.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College, two master’s degrees, one from Oxford University in philosophy and one from Columbia University in private school leadership, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Oxford University.
His experience at Battle Ground Academy, a Pre-K-12th grade, coeducational day school very much like Ranney in size and structure, included campus expansion, program development, and the creation of new technologies in teaching and learning.
Griffith also guided the school through two successful strategic plans. Before his role as headmaster at the academy, Griffith’s experience was rooted in academic leadership as upper school head at the Miami Valley School in Dayton, Ohio.
The search at Ranney for a new head of school was begun during late spring 2012 by the board of trustees. The five-month process generated widespread interest in the position. The search committee, co-chaired by Jamie Price, president of the board of trustees and trustee Chris Fitzmaurice, included trustees, Kristen Gerhard, Michael Oster, and trustee and alum Doug Roberts, Class of ‘79.
The committee also included Patricia Marshall, associate head of academic administration and head of the lower school; Nancy Wade, middle school teacher and forensics advisor; Emmett Walling, aquatics director; and Mimi Keenan, president of the Ranney School Parents’ Association.
The search committee conducted a comprehensive and inclusive search, seeking input from the Ranney community during interactive and informative evening sessions open to parents and teachers and meetings with student leadership groups throughout the process.
The board of trustees has been working with the nationally recognized search-consulting firm, Educator’s Collaborative, in the search process. The search yielded close to 50 candidates from around the globe. Because of the school’s strong national reputation, the pool of finalists was robust, and each was carefully and thoroughly screened before being invited to advance to the final round.
After a comprehensive review of the finalists before and during their visits, and with valuable input from our search and constituency committees which gathered information from parents, teachers, administrators, students and alumni, the overwhelming evidence pointed the committee members in the direction of Griffith.
According to the school, Griffith’s record of achievement and accomplishments and academic preparation make him an ideal candidate to uphold Russell Ranney’s vision for academic excellence, as well as the school’s mission and to follow the legacy of excellence created for 20 years by the Head of School, Dr. Lawrence S. Sykoff.
Founded in 1960 and serving more than 800 boys and girls, beginners (age 3) through grade 12, Ranney School is an independent, college preparatory day school. Under its motto “knowledge, vision, honor,” the school strives to provide an exceptional academic experience in which every child is known and valued.
Additional information is available by visiting www.ranneyschool.org.
