For posterity's sake (lol), the full letter from Malcolm:
Letter from Malcolm Gauld Regarding Leadership ChangesI write to inform you of decisions that have been made regarding the Head of School position at Hyde-Bath and about a new approach to leadership that we plan to implement in our boarding schools.
A New Executive Leadership TeamThe Hyde-Bath search process began late last summer, after Laurie Hurd announced that this would be her last year as Head of School. Shortly after we began to give consideration to the scores of candidates who responded to the ads placed in national publications, we also began to perceive the search process as an opportunity to unify Bath and Woodstock more strongly and thereby continuously improve the unique brand of character education we offer at Hyde. We have always described Bath and Woodstock as "one school, two campuses," and yet in many respects the schools have operated independently, sometimes even in competition with each other. In the spirit of Hyde's belief in synergy - "1+1=3" - we began to envision a new executive leadership team that would work together to inspire this synergy at Bath and Woodstock. This executive team consists of
Bob Felt,
Laura Gauld, and
Don MacMillan.
Laura Gauld '76 Bath - Executive Director, Hyde Boarding SchoolsWhile continuing to serve as Head of School at Hyde-Woodstock, Laura Gauld will assume the added responsibilities of Executive Director of the Hyde Boarding Schools. In this capacity, she will spend a third of her time on the Bath campus working to optimize the quality of the program at Bath while simultaneously synchronizing opportunities with Woodstock. One of our hopes is to significantly increase the co-mingling of the various opportunities for Hyde students. It is our vision that it will become commonplace for Hyde students in the future to spend time at both campuses prior to graduating.
Regarding Hyde's new unified executive leadership team, Laura said, "I welcome the chance to work on a new approach to Hyde's future and believe that our success will depend upon the quality of our alliances with each other and on a combined focus on helping prepare students for life."
Don MacMillan - Head of School at Hyde-BathIt is my pleasure to announce that Don MacMillan has been appointed Head of School at Hyde-Bath. Don began teaching at Hyde in 1983, following his graduation from Bowdoin College. He immediately established himself as an outstanding math teacher and coach of varsity football and men's lacrosse (e.g., 2-time Maine Coach of the Year). He served as Dean of Students and Assistant Headmaster before going on to graduate school at Harvard University where he received his master's degree in education. In 1999, Don served as the founding Head of School at Hyde-DC, today Hyde's largest school with 800 students in grades K-12. Don then went on to earn a second master's degree in counseling at Antioch University before returning to Hyde to serve as Director of Counseling and Associate Head at Hyde-Woodstock. In accepting his new role, Don said, "I'm excited to return to the Bath campus, and I look forward to working with others to bring out the best in the whole Hyde organization."
Don and his wife, Gigi MacMillan
'82 Bath, are the parents of Hyde-Woodstock graduate Kayla
'07 Woodstock and current Hyde-Bath student Hannah
'10 Bath. They will be moving to Bath with son, Wilson, at the conclusion of the current school year. In the meantime, Don will be spending considerable time at Bath this spring preparing for his new role.
Bob Felt '90 Bath - Associate Head of School at Hyde WoodstockBob Felt will assume the title of Associate Head at Hyde-Woodstock. The scope of his responsibility will be expanded to include the oversight of the day-to-day campus life there. During those occasions when Laura is in Bath, Bob will serve as the leader of the campus. Bob had this to say about his new responsibilities: "I am eager to continue the growth that we have made in the Woodstock community and to foster a new connection between the Bath and Woodstock communities."
This new unified leadership team is a different direction than the one we had envisioned when we initially began considering the Hyde-Bath search process last summer. I am deeply excited by the leadership that these three individuals will offer our students, our faculty and staff, our families, and our alumni. This spring Bob, Don, and Laura will work with the faculty to design a plan of action for the coming year. In the meantime, please join me in congratulating all three of them and in working toward a bright future for everyone at Hyde.
Sincerely,
(signature of Malcolm Gauld)
Malcolm Gauld, President
