Vermont Academy
Director of Advancement
Start Date: July/August 2025
Co-ed, Grades 9-PG College Preparatory Boarding and Day School, 229 Students
10 Long Walk PO Box 500, Saxtons River, VT
Director of Advancement Search for Vermont Academy
Educators Collaborative is honored to conduct this senior administrator search for Vermont Academy for a leader to begin July 1, 2025.
About Vermont Academy
Founded in 1876, Vermont Academy is a small New England college preparatory school, primarily boarding in nature, that sees the potential and value of every student and prepares them to thrive in college and life. The school’s 229 students are 80% boarding and 20% day and come from 20 states and more than 20 countries.
Vermont Academy’s educational philosophy is based on four historic values of ingenuity, independence, community, and love of the land. These values create the underpinnings of an early bound book called The Vermont Academy Way, and they represent the framework shaping the development of today’s curriculum. Learning by doing, learning in nature, and learning in a supportive and safe environment successfully prepares VA students for a future of their own making. The school leans into educational innovation and defines itself clearly as a school of the future. The Vermont Academy Way is all about student-centeredness and offering students the opportunity to experience the joy of discovery.
The school has achieved a great deal in the last several years, and long-tenured faculty members universally agree that it is in the strongest and most exciting place in their memories. The school’s innovative culture is reflected in a partnership with La Liga, the top professional soccer league in Spain, and one with an international school in Madrid, Vermont Academy at Liceo Europeo, as well as its most recent partnership with Mount Snow Academy. This began as a collaboration in 2020, and led to Vermont Academy acquiring MSA in 2023 and forming Vermont Academy at Mount Snow, VAMS, with a shared focus on college preparatory academics and intensive snow-sports training.
About the Position
The Director of Advancement at Vermont Academy will play a pivotal role in shaping the school’s future by cultivating relationships, building philanthropic culture, and securing the resources necessary to fuel innovation and opportunity across a vibrant community. As a member of the Senior Administrative Team, the Director
of Advancement reports directly to the Head of School and collaborates closely with trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and community partners.
This role leads and manages a dynamic three-person advancement team. Together, this team is responsible for building the school’s culture of giving and deepening connections across all constituencies.
Vermont Academy is in a period of exciting evolution—guided by a bold strategic plan, growing enrollment, and a vision to honor its 150-year legacy by preparing students to lead with ingenuity, independence, and environmental stewardship. The Director of Advancement will help lead a multi-phase comprehensive
campaign and strengthen all aspects of advancement—including annual giving, major gifts, alumni and parent engagement, and planned giving.
This is a mission-driven leadership role for a relational and results-oriented advancement professional who believes in the transformational power of a Vermont Academy education—and wants to help ensure it’s accessible and enduring for generations to come.
For more information, please view the position description.
How to Apply
Candidates interested in this position are asked to submit the following materials:
- EC Candidate Summary Sheet (Contact a consultant, below, for this document)
- Letter of Interest, addressed to the incoming Head of School Michael Peller
- Current résumé
- A writing sample relevant to advancement and fundraising, such as a campaign communication, donor letter, newsletter article, or blog post
- A list of five or more professional references with contact information (including phone numbers and email addresses)
- EC Disclosure Form (Contact a consultant, below, for this document)
Please send any inquiries, nominations, referrals, or expressions of interest electronically and in confidence to:
Tracy Bennett, Partner
Listing Date: May 15, 2025
EXPERTS IN SEARCH, TRANSITION & STRATEGY
