Bob Howe
Each month RG175 does a "deeper dive" to get to know one of our Independent School colleagues. This month we are spotlighting Bob Howe. Bob grew up on the campus of Loomis Chaffee as a faculty child. His parents Jane and Glover, met as students at Chaffee and Loomis before the schools merged. He graduated from Loomis in 1980 and went on the Hamilton College and earned a degree in History. From 1984-1986 he worked in southern Vermont as a carpenter for Dewdney Builders, then started his own company, Howe Builders, building custom homes and renovations until 1992. He accepted a position at the Millbrook School as the Physical Plant manager and Head Hockey coach, then left in 2004 to become the Director of Athletics at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT. During that time, he and his wife Amanda (married in 1989) had 4 daughters: Samantha (1999), Erin (2001), and Cam and Kelly (both in 2003). They stayed at Loomis Chaffee until 2016 when he accepted the Director of Athletics position at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA. He joined the Bement Board of Trustees in 2017. To read more about Bob, check out the website at Deerfield.
What’s your connection to RG175?
I chaired a search committee for the Bement School in Deerfield Massachusetts looking for a new Head of School.
Can you summarize your experience working with RG175?
My experience with RG175 was a very positive one. When the committee began their search for the right search firm to assist us, we went looking for a partner that would be with us every step of the way. From our first meeting with John Farber and Tom Olverson, it became apparent that we had found a dedicated partner. The two of them spent hours on the phone and on Zoom calls with me initially. They did an excellent job of coaching me to run an effective Head of School search. Their time spent with me was an invaluable part of the process. The approach taken felt personal from the beginning. The people at RG175 got to know Bement very well and that effort made the entire process effective and meaningful.
If you had one thing to recommend to other candidates, what would it be?
Trust their expertise. They know their business and they will make your committee better as a result. Their directives made our Head of School Search Committee very good at the task at hand.
What do you enjoy most about your job as it pertains to Independent Schools?
I think the part about my job as an athletic director at an Independent School that I enjoy the most is my working with such a wide range of interesting people that are school administrators, coaches, teachers, and staff members.
What are some of your greatest achievements?
I don’t really know the answer to this question. I love the fact that I can work at a school and help steer kids in becoming better people through athletics.
How has Covid-19 affected your job and how have you adapted?
Covid-19 really tested our resiliency over the past 18 months. I am fortunate to work at a school with excellent leadership and we have taken on the challenges of operating a boarding school under difficult circumstances head on. I think the pause in “normalcy” at our schools has made us all appreciate what we’ve had. It is my hope that as we emerge back to full-throttle school-business we keep in mind how important support, kindness, and consideration still remain as key elements in our school communities. When we focus on the small things in building positive culture, we make everyone around us better.
Anything you would like to add?
I had a wonderful experience with RG175 and I’m hopeful that I remain in contact with members of the firm for a long time.