Winsor’s Next Head of School: Meredith Legg, Ph.D.

Dear members of the Winsor community,

On behalf of the Winsor Board of Trustees and the Head of School Search Committee, I am extraordinarily pleased to announce that the Winsor School Corporation has voted unanimously to appoint Meredith Legg as Winsor’s ninth head of school. Her appointment follows an enthusiastic recommendation from the Head of School Search Committee and a unanimous vote by the board of trustees to the corporation.

Winsor’s Next Head of School

Meredith currently serves as associate head of Emma Willard School, a day and boarding school for girls grades 9 through 12 in Troy, New York. In her role, she oversees academic programs, professional development, and strategic projects; she manages over 65 academic faculty and staff; and supervises the Offices of Curriculum and Innovation, College Counseling, Learning Support, and Academic and Strategic Technology, as well as the director of experiential learning and the registrar.

Throughout her tenure at Emma Willard, she has worked closely with the board, faculty, and staff to shape a strategic plan that prioritizes academic excellence, curricular innovation and faculty support, belonging and well-being, and a sustainable future. Under her leadership, the faculty have introduced a new advanced studies program complemented with enhanced independent and experiential learning opportunities to enrich the academic experience. She is recognized at Emma Willard for her tremendous leadership of the school during Covid, creating the school’s DEI vision, establishing the Emma Willard Center for Teaching and Learning, supporting the design of a new performing arts facility, and defining a sustainability vision for the school. She also helped develop the academic pillars of a record-breaking $175 million capital campaign—the largest in the school’s history.

Prior to assuming her role as associate head of school, Meredith served as assistant head of school, academic dean, interim STEAM team lead, Curriculum Innovation Department chair/director of academic technology, and director of academic technology, and taught physics, engineering, and environmental science. In these roles, she managed the academic program and oversaw faculty hiring and performance management, including the creation of a professional growth process and new systems for hiring and onboarding faculty and academic staff. She led the development of the school’s Program Pillars, which laid the foundation for the advanced studies curriculum. She also worked with architects to design the new performing arts center and plans for new faculty housing.

Meredith studied civil engineering, earning her B.S. and Ph.D. from Iowa State University and Cornell University, respectively. She and her husband, Ryan, have two school-age children: Matilda, age 10, and Charles, age 7.

In describing her perspective on leadership, she reflected, “School leadership is a complex, fulfilling, and deeply human endeavor—an art and practice that requires constant attention and crafting. Great leadership is much like great teaching: it starts with a deep curiosity about how and why people come together to do inspired work; builds the trust and support of a community; and consistently inspires reflection and growth. In my leadership, I prioritize building relationships and knowing and listening to the community, making it possible to lead exciting opportunities that meet the unique needs of the students in our school today. While I have built my own leadership style over years of experience, my own leadership is not static. Like our students, I am constantly reaching to learn more, recognize my blind spots, and lead in a way that allows a school to live out its mission in extraordinary ways.”

With regard to Winsor, Meredith shared, “I am honored and deeply humbled by the opportunity to serve the Winsor community as the ninth head of school. Meeting the Winsor community during my visit—trustees, faculty and staff, students, and families—brought the Winsor spirit to life for me. I was particularly inspired by my conversations with the students. Winsor students are ambitious, thoughtful, and curious; I am excited to be a part of the educational environment at Winsor that shapes how students walk through the world with confidence and purpose. I am grateful for the corporation’s trust in me to build on the school’s impressive history, and I am looking forward to meeting people soon and joining the important work of the Winsor School.”

The Search Process

Our community has been deeply involved in the search for our next head of school. In partnership with Carney Sandoe & Associates (CS&A), we launched a deep and wide search that attracted more than 120 candidates who officially engaged with our partners at CS&A. The pool of candidates we considered included an impressive array of highly talented and accomplished individuals who brought extensive experience in educational leadership and a clear understanding of the value of girls’ education. They stood out for their range of visionary approaches to curriculum innovation; their demonstrated leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion; and their proven ability to foster strong, supportive school communities.

Three finalists met with members of the Board of Trustees, alumnae, senior administrators, representatives of the faculty and staff, and officers of the Parents’ Association. The search committee received feedback from more than 160 members of our community who had the opportunity to engage with the candidates, and that feedback informed our unanimous decision to recommend Meredith Legg as our next head of school to the board of trustees. Today, the corporation approved the board’s recommendation to appoint Meredith as our next head of school.

Two members of our search committee, Julian Braxton and David Griffin, shared their thoughts after interacting with Meredith:

“Winsor has always been guided by smart, thoughtful, and visionary leaders. From my very first meeting with Meredith, it was evident that she would continue this tradition of exemplary leadership. She brings so much to Winsor, but above all, her deep commitment to community-building and excellence in girls’ education will undoubtedly enrich our beloved community.”

~Julian Braxton, Bezan Chair for Community and Inclusion

“Watching Meredith engage in conversations with students, faculty, alums, trustees, administrators, and parents and listening to the people who worked with Meredith in all aspects of life at Emma Willard, I observed a remarkable consistency: Meredith takes the time to understand each community’s unique perspectives and concerns, and she leads with shared values.”

~David Griffin, English Faculty and Dean of the Class of 2026

I know I speak for the full search committee when I express how excited I am for all of you to get to know Meredith. I am confident that she will foster a nurturing environment where students feel heard and supported, and ensure that the school remains committed to its mission of preparing girls to pursue their aspirations and contribute meaningfully to the world.

Gratitude

I want to extend my sincere thanks to Sarah Pelmas, who continues to successfully lead Winsor through this final year of her tenure as head. Her efforts today and over the past 8 years have primed us for great success in the future, as well as a seamless leadership transition next year.

I also want to thank the search committee, whose tireless efforts resulted in attracting the strongest possible pool of candidates through an extensive, equitable, and rigorous search. Under the leadership of co-chairs Lori Whelan and Larry Cheng, the search committee spent countless hours meeting, reviewing submitted materials, and engaging with members of the Winsor community to ensure we had a strong, clear understanding of what we needed in our next head of school. Along with the co-chairs and me, the search committee included Bezan Chair for Community and Inclusion Julian Braxton and English Faculty and Dean of the Class of 2026 David Griffin, who represented Winsor’s faculty and administration on the committee; current trustees David Humphrey P’28, ’31, Suzanne Ranere Norris ’94, and Emily Lubin Woods ’91, P’26, who lent their expertise as trustees and parents, and in the case of Suzanne and Emily, as alumnae; and Winsor alumna, parent, and former president of the Winsor Corporation Marlyn McGrath ’66, P’96, ’03, who completed our committee and provided a strong historical foundation for our group’s work.

Finally, I want to thank every member of our community who contributed in innumerable ways to the success of this search. Whether you submitted responses to our survey, emailed us with questions and commentary, or met directly with the candidates, we could not have succeeded in this search without your thoughtful participation in the process. We look forward to introducing Meredith Legg to this incredible, dedicated community, and know she is the best person to lead Winsor toward our bright future.

Warmly,

Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89, P’21, ’22
President of the Winsor Corporation