About

Jemicy's Head of School Search

A Message from the Board of Trustees

Jemicy has begun an exciting new chapter — the search for our next head of school. On March 31, 2025, we announced the upcoming retirement of our beloved Head of School, Ben Shifrin, and shared our deep gratitude and appreciation for his 24 years of excellent leadership. Our mission has always been to empower students with dyslexia or other related language-based learning differences to recognize their strengths, develop confidence, and achieve their fullest potential. As we look to the future, we seek a leader who will honor this mission while guiding our community forward with expertise, empathy, and vision.

The Head of School

SEARCH COMMITTEE

List of 7 items.

Russ White ’84

Trustee since 2020. Current Board Vice President, Search Committee Chair, member of Executive and Trusteeship Committees. Past Development Committee Chair. Member of Alumni Association. Alumni Association President 2016-2018. Recipient of the 2020 Westy Award. Past parent.
Jennifer Spiegel Berman

Trustee since 2024. Member of Search and Trusteeship Committees. Current parent.
Jean Brune

Trustee since 2016. Trusteeship Committee Chair. Member of Development, Executive, and Search Committees. Past member of Welcoming and Belonging and Long Range Plan Implementation Committees. Past chair of the Advisory Board.
Megan McGowan

Faculty and staff member 1995-2025. Positions included Director of Outreach & Professional Learning, Head of Lower & Middle School, Head of Lower School, teacher, and coach.
Michael Sachs

Trustee since 2014. Long-range Plan Implementation Committee Chair. New Building Committee Co-chair. Member of Executive, Finance/Investment, and Search Committees. Current and past parent.
Mark Westervelt

Faculty and staff member 1973-2023. Honorary Trustee since 2023. Positions included teacher, coach, camp director, head of middle school, interim head of school, assistant head of school, and director of alumni relations. Past parent.
D’Lisa Worthy

Trustee since 2019. Welcoming and Belonging Committee Chair. Member of Executive and Search Committees. Past member of Trusteeship Committee and Advisory Board. Past parent.

The Search Process

After careful consideration, we have selected Resource Group 175, a renowned consulting firm with expertise in international and domestic independent school leadership searches, to partner with us. Together, we are conducting a comprehensive, inclusive, and thoughtful search to identify a head of school who embodies our values and understands the unique strengths of neurodiverse learners.

The process will include opportunities for faculty, staff, families, alumni, and students to share their perspectives on what makes Jemicy exceptional and what qualities they hope to see in our next leader.

The Head of Jemicy School will be a highly sought-after role, given Jemicy’s reputation and strong foundation. Because of the school’s stability and depth of leadership, we do not feel pressure to rush this decision. Instead, we will be thoughtful and deliberate to ensure we find the right person to lead Jemicy into the future.

Meet Interim Head Tim Hormes

Current Assistant Head of School Tim Hormes will serve as interim head of school beginning July 1, 2026, and will remain as such until a new head of school is appointed. Tim has been at Jemicy for 33 years and has served in numerous roles, including skills teacher, coach, head of middle school, chief operating officer, and for the past two years, associate head of school. Additionally, Tim is the father of a former Jemicy student, adding yet another dimension – a firsthand perspective of a parent whose child learns differently. We are fortunate to have Tim and are confident in his ability to provide steady leadership during this important transition. His deep history with Jemicy, his experience, and his understanding of our students will ensure the school’s continued success and provide seamless continuity.

Search Updates and Communications

We are committed to keeping our community informed every step of the way. Updates, announcements, and opportunities for participation will be shared regularly on this page.