Edhat Reader
By Midland School
After a months-long search, Midland School in Los Olivos has appointed its next incoming Head of School to take leadership in the 2024-2025 academic year. Since 1932, Midland has had 8 different Heads of School appointed to lead the college preparatory boarding program. Starting as an all-boys school and becoming co-educational in the mid 1970s, this is the first time in the school’s history to appoint a female Head of School. Hannah Nelson, currently serving as Assistant Head of School at Watershed School in Colorado, was appointed to the post after an extensive candidate search and a round of multi-day finalist visits to the school’s campus in Los Olivos, CA.
Tom Mone, Chair of Midland School’s Board of Trustees, shares about the board’s decision to offer the position to Ms. Nelson. “We believe that Hannah will be a talented and confident steward of Midland. She has already demonstrated a commitment to embracing and advancing Midland’s mission, core values, and strategic goals and at the same time brings a spirit of innovation to develop and deepen programmatic offerings that align with our core principles. Hannah’s life story is also deeply connected to the outdoors and the environment, whether hiking, kayaking, climbing, or biking.” Midland School focuses on experiential and place-based learning, and as such the school’s faculty, staff and leadership tend to share these passions for the outdoors and the environment.
During her time on campus, Ms. Nelson made a positive impression on faculty, students, and other community members. One person reflected, “Hannah seems to have a sense of balancing the need to move the school forward and to continue evolving all the great things we do while balancing and honoring where we’ve come from…This speaks to genuine curiosity, a willingness to see what she might be working with, and an acknowledgment that we are an institution that is solid in its foundations. This lens is essential for our future Head of School.” Others noted Ms. Nelson’s background and experience with progressive pedagogy, risk management, experiential and interdisciplinary learning among other qualities.
Ms. Nelson will be moving from Boulder to the Santa Ynez Valley with her husband Marty and their young child, William. After coming to visit campus, Ms. Nelson described Midland in this light, “I could really feel the positive energy everywhere on campus. I especially enjoyed talking with students and hearing about the leadership opportunities they have and how they help to set a culture of accountability, trust, and belonging. It is so evident that Midland is a special place; I felt the magic.”
Midland School constituents are grateful to its school leadership over the decades. Christopher Barnes, current Head of School appointed in 2016, will be working alongside the Board of Trustees to onboard his successor over the coming months. Congratulations to Hannah Nelson and the Head of School Search Committee for this exciting appointment.
Link: https://midland-school.org/midland-new-head-of-school-hannah-nelson/
