October 21, 2008

Dear JBS Community,

We are pleased to announce that Andy Abbott has accepted the invitation of the Board of Trustees to succeed Keith Shahan as head of school, effective July 1, 2009.

The search committee advanced its unanimous recommendation last evening during a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. The schedule was accelerated to assure we could secure the very best candidate for Burroughs during a highly competitive national search environment. After meeting with our semifinalists and reviewing comments from the faculty and community advisory panels, key administrators, and parents, students and faculty at large, we knew we already had a strong consensus in hand.

Andy is JBS assistant head of school, director of college counseling, member of the English department, and past principal of eleventh and twelfth grades. He came to Burroughs in 2001 from Woodberry Forest School in Virginia where he was director of college counseling, taught English, and coached football and baseball. Andy and his wife, Katie, are the parents of Clara (12, JBS Class of 2014), Henry (9) and John (5).

We are grateful to all those who participated in the search, and believe this collective effort of faculty, students, parents, and alumni promises a very bright future for Burroughs.

More details will follow in the coming weeks and months when, as a community, we move toward the smooth transition to our sixth head of school. 

Sincerely,

L. Carr Trovillion                                 Todd R. Schnuck ’77 
President, Board of Trustees                Chair, Search Committee