Announcement From Board Chair Takila Williams Naylor

With great pleasure, the Board of Trustees announces the unanimous appointment of Andrew R. Bishop as Davidson Day’s next Head of School. Andrew brings 18 years of experience as an educator and leader in independent day and boarding schools. He officially begins his tenure at Davidson Day School on July 1, 2024.

In Andrew, the Board of Trustees is excited to have found a visionary leader and strategist with proven skills for managing organizational complexity and encouraging innovation in the classroom and school operations. Andrew’s professional and personal values — including an emphasis on cultivating intellectual curiosity and joy in learning, creating programs and initiatives rooted in excellence, and building a culture of collaboration, trust, and problem-solving — are well-aligned with the values and aspirations of the Davidson Day community. As a talented and principled educator and administrator with deep knowledge of independent schools, the Board is confident Andrew will champion Davidson Day’s mission of fostering academic excellence through collaboration, creativity, and character development.

Andrew brings to Davidson Day an understanding of and appreciation for independent schools through the experience he developed as a talented teacher, coach, and successful administrator in boarding and multi-divisional day schools. Therefore, he knows what is important to a preschool family as much as an upper school family. This experience, coupled with his specific knowledge of the opportunities and challenges inherent in young and growing independent schools like Davidson Day, makes him a strong leader as we look to create a solid road map for our school’s future.

Next Steps

The Board of Trustees’ unanimous decision to appoint Andrew concludes a seven-month search process conducted by the Executive Search Committee. This trustee committee was led by Board Secretary Mike Sass and includes myself, Vice Chair Bob Hallman, Governance Chair Meggan Bushee Shapiro, former Board Chair Melissa Nelson-Tate, former Governance Chair Brian Tierney, and Philanthropy Chair Sarah Dodd. The committee was aided by the executive search firm RG-175. We thank the trustees for their unwavering support, professionalism, and dedication to developing and executing a rigorous and excellent search process.

Thank you, too, to the many Davidson Day students, faculty, staff, and parents who contributed to this process, whether by serving on a committee, responding to surveys, sharing feedback in focus groups, and listening to or speaking with the finalists. Throughout the process, the search committee received helpful feedback from the community, and the campus visits brought Davidson Day to life for the candidates.

We wish to thank Michael Smith for stepping up to lead as Interim Head of School, keeping the waters calm, and helping faculty and staff stay focused on living our mission and vision during the search process. In addition, one of the most critical elements of the interim role is assisting with the leadership transition, which begins this month. Michael will partner with executive trustees and the Transition Committee to ensure Andrew receives weekly briefings on school operations, and he’ll help create opportunities to welcome Andrew and introduce him to our community members. We aim to ensure a successful leadership transition rooted in the same excellence and professionalism that guided our search process. More information about the Transition Committee will be shared soon.

Andrew and his family are thrilled to cross the Mississippi River once more in a return to the East. They can’t wait to call North Carolina home, and I hope you will join me in welcoming Andrew, his wife, Kyle Bishop, and their three children–daughter Carter (10), son Beckett (7), and daughter Ryan (5)–to the Patriot community!

Sincerely,

Takila Williams Naylor, Board Chair

Davidson Day School

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Davidson Day School

750 Jetton Street
Davidson, NC 28036

P: (704) 237-5200
F: (704) 896-5535