Lovett Appoints New Head Of School

BUCKHEAD, GA - From The Lovett School: The Lovett School’s Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of Meredyth Moredock Cole as Lovett's next Head of School, effective July 1, 2018. She will join the school from The Episcopal School of Dallas, where she has been Head of School since 2013. Cole succeeds Billy Peebles, Lovett’s twelfth headmaster, who will retire in June 2018 after 15 years of service to the school.

“We are certain that Meredyth's commitment to the development of the whole child, approachable and engaging style, and deep independent school experience position her to lead Lovett with excellence into our second century,” said Reid French, Board Chair and Chairman of the Head of School Search Committee.

In accepting this appointment, Cole said, "Lovett is a school I have long admired, as its commitment to the development of the whole child - with equal emphasis on character, intellect, and spirituality - aligns so closely with my own philosophy. Mrs. Eva Edwards Lovett's vision of what creates a transformational education is more relevant today than ever before. My family and I look forward to joining the Lovett community."

During her time at The Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD), one of the largest independent schools in Texas, Cole has focused on preparing the school's students for intellectual discovery, integrity, and purpose - concentrating on the classroom experience for ESD's students and increasing faculty professional development tenfold. She also led the completion of the school's first five-year strategic plan as well as launched a highly successful $75 million capital campaign.

Prior to her role at ESD, Cole spent 23 years at The Madeira School, serving as Assistant Head of School and Acting Head of School at the internationally renowned boarding school in McLean, Virginia.

Cole earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from The University of Virginia and a Master of Science in
Educational Leadership from the University of New England. She is a frequent presenter at National Association of Independent Schools conferences and has served on the accreditation teams for four independent schools around the country. Her board service includes the National Association of Episcopal Schools and the Southwest Preparatory Athletic Conference. She was also a National Association of Independent Schools E.E. Ford Fellow in 2003. Cole and her husband of 26 years, John, are the parents of two college-aged children; she is the daughter of a longtime independent school headmaster.

Cole’s unanimous selection by both the Head of School Search Committee and the Lovett Board of Trustees was the culmination of a seven-month national search process conducted in partnership with Carney, Sandoe & Associates, a leading independent school search firm. Lovett's strong national reputation as a highly selective independent school generated significant interest from many highly qualified candidates. The Search Committee considered more than 200 individual candidates before ultimately reaching a unanimous recommendation to the Lovett Board of Trustees to name Cole the school’s next head.

“The entire Search Committee was mindful of the importance of this decision given the exceptional leadership
displayed by Billy Peebles throughout his 15-year tenure with our school,” said French. “We look forward to
Meredyth's inspiring leadership next year as we strive to live our mission to ‘develop young men and women of honor, faith, and wisdom with the character and intellect to thrive in college and in life."

About The Lovett School

Founded in 1926 by progressive educator Eva Edwards Lovett, The Lovett School is an Atlanta independent school serving 1,670 students in kindergarten through grade 12. With an emphasis on the whole child, Lovett provides integrated experiences in academics, arts, athletics, and service. Lovett's mission is to "develop young men and women of honor, faith, and wisdom with the character and intellect to thrive in college and in life."

Lovett’s reach extends beyond its Buckhead neighborhood—students come from nearly 70 zip codes across
Atlanta—and even into South America, where Lovett maintains 825 acres of Ecuadoran cloud forest as a preserve and research center. Exclusive research partnerships with the Georgia Aquarium and Atlanta Botanical Garden and a unique junior internship program offer our students authentic experiences in many settings outside of the classroom. Lovett also hosts the Breakthrough Atlanta program on its campus and launched the Lab Atlanta program for high-achieving Atlanta-area sophomores in the spring of 2017. Lovett is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and the Southern Association of Independent Schools. For more information, please visit www.lovett.org.

Photo courtesy of The Lovett School