Announcing St. Andrew's New Head of School
It is with great enthusiasm, gratitude and optimism that we share the news that the Board of Trustees has selected Melissa Grubb to be our next Head of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, effective immediately.
We are so pleased by the incredible community input and the thoughtful consideration by our Search Committee and school families, alumni, faculty, students and staff. There was overwhelming support for Melissa, and we look forward to a bright future ahead for St. Andrew’s.
Throughout the interview process, the Search Committee looked for candidates who could best address the opportunities and challenges outlined in our position statement, in addition to prioritizing the professional and personal qualities identified by the St. Andrew’s community as important. In tandem with these qualities, our Search Committee was seeking someone who embraced the School’s Episcopal Identity, valued close-knit relationships and high aspirations, would lead with warmth, empathy and transparency, and partner with others to shepherd St. Andrew’s to new heights.
Melissa is uniquely qualified for this Head of School position. She leads with her head and her heart, and strongly believes in the School’s mission and our commitment to Episcopal Identity. Her depth of academic and leadership experience, relationship-building skills, financial acumen and love of learning all made her the right choice for St. Andrew’s next Head of School.
Leading transformational education
Melissa believes education should be transformative and she draws from more than 30 years of experience in independent schools, including many years as a classroom teacher and serving in a variety of administrative capacities, most recently as Head of School for eleven years at The Stanley Clark School in Indiana. She has led school accreditation teams around the United States, built and aligned innovative curriculum, raised significant funds for school endeavors, developed strategies to grow enrollment and increase revenue, established DEI committees and helped improve professional development and growth opportunities for faculty and staff. In sum, Melissa’s experience and record of achievement make her well-positioned to inspire our community and lead St. Andrew’s forward.
An inspiring leader and community builder
While managing her daily operational duties as Interim Head this year, Melissa has also been a very visible figure on campus and strongly believes in knowing every member of our school community. Whether at a football or field hockey game, watching a student performance, attending Chapel, visiting classrooms, or hosting parent coffees, Melissa is always present and genuinely loves engaging with our students and their families. These characteristics are important to our school, and building relationships and growing our community spirit were consistent themes in our parent, alumni, student and faculty and staff feedback.
Commitment to our Four Pillars
St. Andrew’s devotion to helping our students reach their full potential is central to Melissa’s focus as a Head of School. Melissa believes in balancing high academic expectations with spiritual growth, creativity in the arts and improving physical well-being, teamwork and athletic competition. She embodies our core values of community, spiritual foundation, high expectations and caring, celebration and humor.
“Melissa is sincerely committed to high standards, joyful learning, character development and inclusivity in our school community,“ stated Thomas Queen and Yvette Rios, Co-Chairs of the Head Search Committee. “She brings incredible wisdom and vision to this position and truly cares about the experiences our students, alumni, faculty, staff and parents have at St. Andrew’s.”
I am very grateful to our Head Search Committee Chairs, Thomas Queen and Yvette Rios, as well as our dedicated search committee members, for their tireless efforts and thoughtful consideration as we sought our next Head of School.
We know this has been a season of great change and transition at St. Andrew’s, and we deeply appreciate your trust and engagement throughout the process of finding an interim and now a permanent Head of School. St. Andrew’s is well-poised to accomplish great things in the years ahead under Melissa’s leadership. Her warmth, compassion, leadership experience and commitment to community will serve us well. We look forward to continuing this school year with her and thank you again for your participation and support in this important effort for our school.
Sincerely,
Jason Near
Chair, Board of Trustees
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
Dear St. Andrew’s Families, Students, Faculty, Staff and Alumni
It is a tremendous honor to be selected as St. Andrew’s next Head of School. In my short time as Interim Head I have simply fallen in love with this school community, its mission and values, and the wonderful students, parents and teachers I’ve had the privilege of working with. We have good work ahead of us, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue leading this magnificent school.
Faithfully,
Melissa Grubb
Head of School
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
What others in our community had to say about Melissa:
“I whole-heartedly endorse Mrs. Grubb for the future of St. Andrew’s. She combines the tenacity to hold strong to our values as an Episcopal School with the determination to also push St. Andrew’s into the future as a progressive and ever-changing independent institution.” - SAS Student
“She is clearly qualified, up to the challenge, not afraid to say the hard things or ask the hard questions, all the while with a smile on her face and an infectiously joyful attitude. We have the utmost confidence that her vision aligns with what the parent community is searching for.” - SAS Parent
“We’re at an important turning point in our school’s history and it is paramount that we look both to our roots as well as where we’re looking to go and Mrs. Grubb represents this idea fully. She understands the traditions and values we stand for of compassion, love, and grace with the understanding that St. Andrew’s is growing up and needs to change to support this growth, especially in terms of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. I trust this school in the hands of Mrs. Grubb, and there is nobody I see more fit to take over this wonderful school than her.” - SAS Student
“Truthfully, if Melissa Grubb decided one day to open her own school, right now I would try to be
the first one at the door to apply to work there.” - SAS Faculty Member
“I trust her with the future of St. Andrew’s.” - SAS Parent
“She seems to honestly enjoy her work as a passionate, humble, and authentic educator and leader. And she knows that people and relationships are at the heart of what we do and should never be far from how or why we do our work. I think she would find ways to infuse her joy in all that we do at St. Andrew’s...I can see her being a role model and most excellent cheerleader for our students, a strong partner with parents, a respected leader in the Austin community and in the community of educators beyond Austin, and a spirited leader and mentor to the faculty and staff of SAS” - SAS Staff Member
“Her message is that when everyone grows, the institution grows. Her willingness to be self-aware and to encourage the strength of others would lead St. Andrew’s towards bridging the traditional and the innovative; the two qualities so critically aligned to honor our history and sustain our future.” - SAS Faculty Member
“I think Mrs. Grubb would be the perfect Head of School! She’s done a great job as interim head, and I think she understands St. Andrew’s values. I also love how Mrs.Grubb actually interacts with the students. I was so touched when she came to the pep rally!” - SAS Student
