Head of School Search

 

The St. Luke’s School Board of Trustees Appoints
Tracy Fedonchik as the School’s Sixth Head of School


The Board of Trustees is thrilled to announce the appointment of Tracy Fedonchik as St. Luke’s School’s next Head of School, beginning July 1, 2023. The Board unanimously approved the Search Committee’s recommendation to appoint Tracy as the sixth Head of School, following a seven-month search process that included voices from our students, faculty, administration, parents, the vestry of St. Luke in the Fields, alumni, and the Board.
 
We are overjoyed to welcome Tracy to St. Luke’s School. During our search process, we heard statements like: 

  • “Tracy is a gifted educator who infuses joy into classrooms and also supports her faculty and staff in big and small ways.”
  • “She could lead with her intellect, but she chooses to lead with connection and kindness”
  • “She is first and foremost a teacher. She centers children – always.”
  • “She knows when to step forward and lead and also when to step back and create room and opportunities for other voices to be centered.”
  • “She has the highest standard of integrity. The Episcopal Identity of St. Luke’s will be a natural fit for her.”
  • “She cares deeply about creating community and caring for every member of that community. Everything flows from that.”

Tracy has served as Middle School Director at The Dalton School on the Upper East Side since 2017. Under her direction, the Middle School has reorganized administrative and teacher leadership, led ongoing assessments and improvements of the schedule with a lens to DEI goals, academic excellence, and student social and emotional needs, and improved the transition of students from the lower to middle to upper divisions at Dalton. 

Dalton has been Tracy’s home since 2002, when she started as an associate teacher in Grade 3. In the intervening years, she became a lead teacher in Grade 3 before moving to the Middle School where she taught Grade 5 language arts, social studies, and mathematics. In 2014, Tracy was named Assistant Middle School Director, responsible for oversight of all aspects of the program for students in Grades 4 - 6.

Tracy graduated from Fairfield University with a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. After an early start in the business world, she decided to change careers and earned an MS in Teaching Literacy and Childhood General Education from Bank Street College of Education.
 
Away from school, Tracy is an amateur photographer, a big fan of podcasts, and enjoys long walks with her Dachshund, Pip’n.
 
We would like to thank the entire community who enthusiastically participated in this critical selection process and provided such important feedback. We would also like to thank the members of the Search Committee for their extraordinary service and dedication.
 
We know you will join us in congratulating Tracy and welcoming her, along with her husband Scott and their son, Henry. We look forward to moving confidently into the future together.
 
With joy,
 
Holly Fogle and Rebecca Morse
Co-chairs, Head of School Search Committee

White St. Luke's logo.

Learn More About the Process

Thank you to everyone in our community who participated in the Head of School search.

In March of 2022, Head of School Bart Baldwin announced his decision to retire at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, after 16 years of devoted service to St. Luke’s School. His letter to the St. Luke’s community can be read below.

The Board of Trustees retained educational leadership firm Research Group 175 to support the search for a new Head of School, who will begin in July 2023. The search process commenced in Spring 2022, and announced our new Head of School, Tracy Fedonchik, Fall 2022.

Leading the search was a committee chaired by Holly Fogle, the Chair of St. Luke’s School Board of Trustees, and Rebecca Morse, a Trustee and Executive Committee member. The Search Committee was comprised of members of the school’s Board of Trustees, parents, professional staff, alumni, and members of the St. Luke’s community. An introduction to the members of the Search Committee can be found below.

Mr. Baldwin will continue to lead our school through the end of the 2022-23 school year.

Our Search Partner

We have retained Research Group 175 (RG175), a nationally recognized search firm, after interviewing several organizations in the fall of 2021. They bring a unique perspective since they specialize in head of school searches. They were all heads of schools themselves and understand New York City well. Our team will be led by Tony Featherston, Doreen Olesen, and Jerry Katz. A few highlights of their careers to help you understand why we are excited about them:

  • Tony spent 12 years in headship at the Elmwood Franklin School in Buffalo and The Town School in Manhattan. He was a long-time faculty member at the National Association of Independent Schools Diversity Leadership Institute.
  • Doreen spent 25 years as the Head of Saint Mark’s School, an Episcopal day school in CA, and has served as president of the governing board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools.
  • Jerry served in headship for 20 years at The Park School in MA and most recently as Head of School at Rodeph Sholom for four years. He has served as the Associate Director of the Principals Center at Harvard Graduate School of Education.