Penny Evins is leaving Collegiate School after a three-year stint in the West End private school’s top leadership position.
Evins will end her tenure as head of school on July 31, according to a recent Collegiate Board of Trustees letter to parents shared with BizSense.
Evins said in the letter that she plans to “pursue other opportunities” but didn’t elaborate. A specific reason for Evins’ departure wasn’t provided in the school’s announcement.
“I wish the entire community the very best as Collegiate moves forward. I am most grateful for the relationships established and opportunity to serve as Head of School for the past three years,” Evins said in her prepared statement.
Evins didn’t respond to a request for further comment Tuesday.
William “Billy” Peebles has been tapped to act as the interim head effective Aug. 1. Peebles is a member of the school’s board of trustees who has served as head of school and interim head at private schools in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, according to the announcement letter by board chairwoman Carter Reid.
“Billy is an exceptionally and uniquely qualified leader with deep ties to the Collegiate community. He has led the Powhatan School, and the Lovett School in Atlanta, among others,” Collegiate spokesman Grant Neely said in an email. Neely said that Collegiate hasn’t yet set a timeline for the search for a permanent replacement for Evins. He didn’t answer a question regarding what prompted Evins’ upcoming departure.
Reid lauded Evins’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and creation of a strategic plan for the school, which is expected to be unveiled in the fall.
“I know you all join me in thanking Penny for her tremendous service to our School and our students. We wish Penny all the best in her future endeavors,” Reid wrote in her letter that was emailed to the Collegiate community in late June. “At the appropriate time, we will initiate a nationwide search to find our next leader. With Billy at the helm, we will purposefully and thoughtfully create a transparent process to identify our next Head of School.”
Reid wrote in the letter that Evins would assist with the transition during July.
Evins started her tenure as head of school in July 2019, after being chosen and accepting the role more than a year previously, according to a July 2019 school news release. She was previously head of school at St. Paul’s Schools for Girls in Baltimore for six years. She has degrees from University of Virginia.
Collegiate has an enrollment of about 1,700 students. The co-ed school teaches grades junior kindergarten to 12th grade. Tuition ranges from $17,000-$29,000 per year.
Penny Evins is leaving Collegiate School after a three-year stint in the West End private school’s top leadership position.
Evins will end her tenure as head of school on July 31, according to a recent Collegiate Board of Trustees letter to parents shared with BizSense.
Evins said in the letter that she plans to “pursue other opportunities” but didn’t elaborate. A specific reason for Evins’ departure wasn’t provided in the school’s announcement.
“I wish the entire community the very best as Collegiate moves forward. I am most grateful for the relationships established and opportunity to serve as Head of School for the past three years,” Evins said in her prepared statement.
Evins didn’t respond to a request for further comment Tuesday.
William “Billy” Peebles has been tapped to act as the interim head effective Aug. 1. Peebles is a member of the school’s board of trustees who has served as head of school and interim head at private schools in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia, according to the announcement letter by board chairwoman Carter Reid.
“Billy is an exceptionally and uniquely qualified leader with deep ties to the Collegiate community. He has led the Powhatan School, and the Lovett School in Atlanta, among others,” Collegiate spokesman Grant Neely said in an email. Neely said that Collegiate hasn’t yet set a timeline for the search for a permanent replacement for Evins. He didn’t answer a question regarding what prompted Evins’ upcoming departure.
Reid lauded Evins’s leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and creation of a strategic plan for the school, which is expected to be unveiled in the fall.
“I know you all join me in thanking Penny for her tremendous service to our School and our students. We wish Penny all the best in her future endeavors,” Reid wrote in her letter that was emailed to the Collegiate community in late June. “At the appropriate time, we will initiate a nationwide search to find our next leader. With Billy at the helm, we will purposefully and thoughtfully create a transparent process to identify our next Head of School.”
Reid wrote in the letter that Evins would assist with the transition during July.
Evins started her tenure as head of school in July 2019, after being chosen and accepting the role more than a year previously, according to a July 2019 school news release. She was previously head of school at St. Paul’s Schools for Girls in Baltimore for six years. She has degrees from University of Virginia.
Collegiate has an enrollment of about 1,700 students. The co-ed school teaches grades junior kindergarten to 12th grade. Tuition ranges from $17,000-$29,000 per year.
Even bigger news is that Kate Parthemos, manager of the Collegiate School store for the last 30 years, is rumored to be retiring. Now, that’s a huge loss for the Collegiate community. I hope they throw her a nice party.