Head of School Search
We are committed to keeping our community informed and engaged throughout the process of confirming our next Head of School. This page serves as a central hub for updates, milestones, and opportunities for involvement as we undertake this important work.
Updates from the Board of Trustees
March 27, 2026
Hi Soundview community,
Thank you to everyone that attended our listening session with our Head of School search consultant Joan Beauregard (Educators Collaborative) and to those that completed the Soundview School survey earlier this month. We received a substantial number of responses to the survey and believe the community has been very well represented.
We wanted to share a few status updates on the Head Search process:
The information gathered from the listening sessions and survey responses played a key role in the creation of a formal Leadership Opportunity Statement. This was prepared by the Head Search Committee in coordination with Joan from Educators Collaborative. The document outlines strengths and opportunities for Soundview School, and it articulates the characteristics and skills desired for the next Head of School. This is a frequently used tool in Head Search processes, and one that is being leveraged by the Head Search Committee as we assess the school’s needs.
We continue to make progress and are on track with the previously discussed internal vetting process. The next milestone is for the Head Search Committee to conduct a formal interview and case study evaluation with Chrissy the week of March 30. This process includes bias training for the committee and an evaluation process based on a rubric designed by Educators Collaborative. A primary goal with this milestone is to approach interviewing and assessing Chrissy in the same manner as we would with any external candidate.
We expect to have the results of the internal vetting in mid-late April, consistent with our original timeline. We look forward to sharing more with you soon. As always, if you have any questions you can reach out to Joan, jbeauregard@educatorscollaborative.com or me, shawnheidel@gmail.com with any questions.
Thank you,
Shawn Heidel
Soundview Board President
February 27, 2026
Dear Soundview Community,
Welcome back from mid-winter break. I hope you got to enjoy quality time with family and friends. It's great to see everyone back on campus.
As you know, the search for Soundview School’s next Head of School is underway. We are partnering with Educators Collaborative, a national firm that works with schools on leadership searches, strategy and governance.
An essential component of this search is hearing from you. We need to understand what you believe are the strengths of our School, where there are areas for improvement, and most importantly, your thoughts on the desired attributes for the next Head of School. With that in mind, I hope you will share your thoughts with Educators Collaborative in this confidential search by completing a short survey.
The Soundview School Survey should take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and individual survey responses will only be seen by the consultant. Please note that the survey will close at noon on Friday, March 6th.
In addition to the survey, Joan Beauregard, our consultant from the Educators Collaborative, visited Soundview on February 24th to see our school in action. She toured the school, talked with students, met with the administrative team, had lunch with Chrissy, and conducted focus groups with parents, faculty and staff. We are currently exploring options for a virtual focus group for parents in the coming weeks if there is interest. Please stay tuned for details.
Please feel free to contact Joan, jbeauregard@educatorscollaborative.com or me, shawnheidel@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you in advance for your time. Your input is truly valuable to our work as we select the next leader of Soundview School.
Thank you,
Shawn Heidel
Soundview Board President
February 13, 2026
Hi Soundview families,
As we mentioned last week, our Head Search Committee is making progress on our plan towards landing a permanent Head of School for Soundview. Part of the internal vetting process is an on-site visit day where the search consultant meets with faculty, staff, and families to gain insight on the internal candidate. Your perspective as parents and families is an important part of this process. Our site visit is on Tuesday, February 24, with the parent/family listening session landing at 2:15-3:00 p.m. An anonymized survey will be sent out shortly thereafter for anybody who is unable to attend or who has additional feedback to share. Please RSVP for the live session to help us plan.
Following the site visit, the search consultant will continue the internal vetting process with steps that include a formal application, conversations with the Board of Trustees, and an evaluation with the Head Search Committee. We still expect that the internal vetting will wrap in early April, and at that point, we will know if we are to move forward with Chrissy as permanent Head of School or if we should extend the search process to additional external candidates.
We look forward to keeping you all posted as we move forward.
Thank you,
Shawn Heidel
Soundview Board President
February 6, 2026
Hello Soundview community,
It has been a few months since our Head of School search plans were discussed during the State of the School. I thought this would be a good time to provide a brief update.
As a refresher, it is common to designate an Interim Head of School when a previous Head moves on. Typically, Interim contracts are 1-3 years in duration, and vary within that range based on the specific dynamics of the school. In our case, we were fortunate to have Chrissy already in place with the skills and experience necessary, and we were able to agree on a 2-year Interim Head of School contract starting in July of 2025.
During the State of the School address, I provided a high-level view of the process and timeline for confirming our next permanent Head of School. I’m pleased to share that we are right on track in that process. To date, we have established a Head Search Committee within the Board of Trustees, evaluated proposals from a number of search firms, and hired Joan Beauregard from Educators Collaborative to conduct the official search activities. We selected Educators Collaborative for their deep expertise in independent school leadership searches and their track record of successfully placing Heads of School and senior administrators at mission-aligned institutions nationwide.
Our next step will be what is known as an Internal Vetting Process. This happens when you have an internal candidate–Chrissy, in our case– whom you want to evaluate as the primary candidate for the permanent role. This process will follow much of the same rigor as an external search. This is an important process to use, and one that Chrissy (and Chris before her) requested we follow to affirm the support of the Board of Trustees and the entire Soundview community. Following this process is a sign of our confidence in Chrissy's candidacy for the permanent role.
What comes next? During February and March, the search firm will spend time engaging with the Board of Trustees, faculty, administration, Chrissy, and the greater school community to gather information about the school and Chrissy’s leadership. In-person (and virtual) conversations, listening sessions, and surveys will all be used during the Internal Vetting process. We will also define a structured job requirements document and have Chrissy go through a formal interview.
We expect to finish the Internal Vetting process in early April with a decision to either move forward with Chrissy as our permanent Head of School, or to extend the process to additional external candidates. You can expect an update from the Board around that time with our status in the process.
I hope this helps provide a clear picture of where we are.
Thank you!
Shawn Heidel
Soundview Board President
November 4, 2024
Since 2010, Chris Watson has served as the Head of School at Soundview School. We are thrilled to congratulate him on his new role as Executive Director of the Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS). We are pleased to announce that Assistant Head of School, Chrissy Sinclair, will serve as Interim Head of School beginning July 1, 2025. Chrissy brings a wealth of experience, dedication, and 15 years of knowledge of our community.
Head Search Committee Members
Shawn Heidel - Board President
Nani Vishwanath - Board Vice President
Christine Stansfield - Board Secretary & Chair of Committee on Trustees
Todd Miller - Board Treasurer & Finance Committee Chair
Whitney Suttell - Board DEIB Committee Chair
Search Timeline
Interim Head named: November 2024
Head Search Committee established: December 2025
Search firm hired: January 2026
Internal vetting process: February and March, 2026
Results of internal vetting process announced: April 2026