December 3, 2007

Dear Dana Hall Community,

The Board of Trustees announces with pleasure the unanimous appointment of Caroline Kent Erisman as the tenth Head of the Dana Hall School, effective July 1, 2008. Her leadership abilities, professional experience, and strength of judgment and character are among the many assets that will help her lead Dana into the exciting years that lie ahead.

Ms. Erisman will succeed Blair Jenkins, to whom the Board extends its incalculable gratitude for the energy, vision, care, and commitment with which she has served Dana for so long. She will leave the school far better off than she found it and has been indispensable in making it the vibrant and vital community that it is today.

Ms. Erisman comes to Dana Hall from The Hewitt School in New York, at which she has served as the Associate Head of School for the last seven years. Prior to assuming that role, she served as the Director of College Counseling and taught English and Latin in the middle and upper schools.

Before joining Hewitt, Ms. Erisman taught at Rye Country Day and the Town School.  She holds a Masters in Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College, a J.D. from New York University School of Law, and a B.A. from Wellesley College, where she was Phi Beta Kappa, a Wellesley Scholar, and a Rhodes Scholar semi-finalist.

Ms. Erisman has a true sense of Dana Hall’s goals and ambitions, and of the spirit of Amor Caritas.

“All students, especially girls, learn best in an environment in which they feel comfortable taking risks, serving as leaders, trying new experiences, and perhaps even failing and being compelled to deal with setbacks,” says Ms. Erisman. “I believe that schools can create such an environment by treating each student as an individual, and celebrating and recognizing each girl’s particular strengths and achievements. A strong and supportive relationship between teacher and student is critical in encouraging each student to fulfill her potential, as is a partnership between the school and parents. There is great strength in a community with a common goal: the success, well-being, and inspiration of its students."

Ms. Erisman’s husband, John Silberstein, is an English teacher and basketball coach at The Dalton School in New York. They have three children, Ben, 16, and Katie and Emily, 14. Ms. Erisman’s family is looking forward to joining the Dana Hall community and to living in Wellesley.

My appreciation goes out to everyone – faculty, administration, students, alumnae, parents, and staff – who took the time to become involved in the search process. My thanks also to my friends and colleagues on the Search Committee, and to the Faculty Advisory Committee, whose hard work and dedication have been invaluable.

A more formal announcement of Ms. Erisman’s appointment will follow this winter and will provide a more extensive introduction to our new Head of School.

Sincerely,