Amy Kumpel
Each month RG175 does a "deeper dive" to get to know one of our Independent School colleagues. This month we are spotlighting Amy Kumpel, incoming Director of the Upper School at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, MA. Amy will begin her new role as Director of the Upper School at Dana Hall School this July. She is the current Science Department Head at Concord Academy in Concord, MA, where she has taught in both the Math and Science Departments. Amy also serves as house faculty in the residential life program, chaired the STEM Equity Task Force which investigated the inclusion/opportunity gap in STEM disciplines at the school, and is currently co-chairing the Faculty Evaluation and Professional Development Working Group. Amy graduated cum laude from Tufts University in 2001 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in English. She then earned her MS in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2003 and just completed the Certificate in School Management and Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education this spring.
What’s your connection to RG175?
I found RG175 when I began my search for an administrative role in independent schools. They were working on several searches that interested me, and I connected with John Green, Bob Henderson and Tony Featherston.
Can you summarize your experience working with RG175?
My experience as a candidate has been amazing. The consultants at RG175 are supportive and wonderful coaches as well. They were helpful in thinking through the various opportunities and in preparing me for the interviews. My current school also used RG175 to run our recent Head of School search, and they were great to work with in that capacity. They really captured the essence of our school in the opportunity statement and presented us with fantastic finalists.
If you had one thing to recommend to other candidates, what would it be?
Keep at it and don't settle! It can feel like a long and, at times, frustrating process, but you want to make sure that you take the time to find the right mutual fit and that you present your authentic self throughout the interview process.
What do you enjoy most about working in Independent Schools?
I love the ever-evolving nature of Independent Schools. We have the ability and flexibility to explore new and innovative pedagogical approaches and to reinvent and reimagine what we are doing in the classroom while also staying true to the mission of our schools.
How has Covid-19 affected your job/business and how have you adapted?
Covid provided us with some wonderful opportunities to deeply evaluate the what, how and why of what we teach. It enabled us to rethink the balance between content and skills and to focus our attention on equitable grading practices as the landscape of teaching and learning shifted.