Head of School Search Committee
Report to Oakwood Constituents

Excerpts of a Thank You Letter from Mr. Peterson
to the Search Committee and Oakwood

Mr. Peterson recently sent a Letter to the Search Committee to thank Oakwood for giving him the opportunity to become our new leader.  In that letter, he expressed his reasons for choosing Oakwood out of the eight other schools that were interested in hiring him as Head.  He has agreed with the Search Committee’s request that we be allowed to share his letter with all of the Oakwood community.  The entire letter was read at the Town Hall meeting and was well received by those in attendance.  Highlights of the letter are included below. 

“Interestingly, Oakwood was the first school that I visited, and it became my first choice out of the eight schools for which I became a finalist for a Headship.”

“I left Greenville after (my first visit) with a strong sense of the school and area and felt that it might be a perfect match. I was looking for a school that needs strong leadership and has a bright future. I was particularly intrigued by the fact that Oakwood had recently opened an upper school division since I had helped craft a secondary school division at BCD and had learned many lessons and gained solid understandings from this experience that I felt would be helpful in Oakwood’s endeavor.”

“People at (Oakwood) may not know that when I entered my three previous leadership positions—head of Lower School at Brunswick School in Greenwich, Ct, Head of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Washington, D.C. and Head of BCD— I entered communities that were divided and torn apart because of internal stresses (resulting from) decisions made by leaders who had only the best interests of the school in their hearts and minds. I learned quickly that the challenge of bringing together communities and getting them to move on from past wounds in strategic ways is something I find satisfying and gratifying. As a result of these experiences, I was looking for schools that could take advantage of my twenty-five years of leadership experience in independent schools. I did not want a school that I would care take. Instead, I wanted to find the perfect school that 10 to 15 years later I could look back at and know I had made a difference. As I started my search I discovered fifteen schools around the nation that fit such a criterion, yet Oakwood always remained at the top of the list.

Oakwood impressed me from the moment I learned about its history. I was amazed by how far the school had progressed in just twelve years. Ten years ago Oakwood School was housed in a series of trailers on rented property. Today Oakwood is located on a magnificent campus that includes almost 40 acres of land and four beautiful classroom buildings. The oak trees at the entrance are young and growing as is the school, having over 300 students enrolled. The faculty is also impressive. The teachers’ energy and commitment to the school are noteworthy. In fact everyone associated with the school is so dedicated and determined to make Oakwood a success that this positive energy and spirit is evident almost upon setting foot on the campus. Oakwood is a gem and the community has wrought a miracle in practically no time at all. Indeed, there are growing pains, and these were clearly visible to me. How can Oakwood balance the budget at the same time it expands and starts a high school? How can Oakwood grow its high school? Is a competitive sports program possible at such a small school? How can Oakwood compete against the free public schools and the parochial schools that charge half the price? Can Oakwood pay the faculty enough to keep them? How can Oakwood get a strong development program off the ground? These challenges excite me; this is why I accepted the position.

(My wife) Gini and I had the chance to visit Oakwood in September for two days. These were magical days for us. Gini who had only come to know the Oakwood School through my stories fell in love with the school and the community. She toured neighborhoods around Greenville … and had the chance to see ECU in action…. We talked to the Board, parents and teachers during our visit. Through all of these interactions, we gained an even stronger sense of the school and liked it even more. We saw a community on a growing curve and a school on the move. We now knew it was the perfect match, and I indicated this to the search committee. I wish that I could have signed on the dotted line then and there. 

Oakwood very wisely felt it needed to complete its search process and interview other viable candidates. The search committee knew that a new Head would only be embraced if a legitimate search were conducted. I respected and understood this even though it meant that I would have to continue to pursue my search with other schools around the nation since I could not play the odds. Having two children in college makes a person think first about ensuring an income; twenty years ago I would have taken the risk! After our visit to Oakwood I interviewed at three schools in Florida, another in North Carolina and one each in the states of South Carolina, Indiana, Illinois and Washington. These searches were moving fast, and I was invited to be a finalist at four of them by the middle of October at which time I called you to find out more about the timing of Oakwood’s search. Though I liked all of the schools I had interviewed with, none captured my heart the way Oakwood did. This reality made me worry that one of the schools might offer an opportunity before your school was ready to make a similar offer. Timing is everything in the school search world, and I was holding my breath that all would work as I dearly wished. (In mid-October) I was in North Carolina interviewing at another school and asked to meet with Oakwood’s search committee to let its members know that Oakwood was by far my top choice. Fate worked on my behalf and by Friday, October 19th I had the news that Oakwood wanted me.

I am excited to begin my work and only wish that I could start earlier than July, 2008. I have looked at my professional calendar and marked off times that I can venture south to Greenville to meet with various constituents to learn more about the school and to work with Dr. Hawk and Dr. McFadden to plan for the coming year. Gini and I are anxious to find a new home and put down our roots in Greenville. …We have even become ECU Pirate fans, cheering on the football team and looking forward to watching the basketball and baseball teams. Now I just need some leads about how to get season tickets for next year’s football season! 

I look forward to meeting all members of the Oakwood family in the coming months. Once again I want to thank the Search Committee and the Board of Trustees for their confidence in my abilities to lead The Oakwood School.”

Robert Peterson, October 30, 2007