December 4, 2007

Dear Students, Faculty, Parents, Alumni, Trustees and Friends:

We are pleased to announce that Ms. Lesley Murphy, currently IB Coordinator and Head of the English Department at St. Stephen’s School, has accepted the invitation of the Board of Trustees to succeed Phil Allen as the Head of St. Stephen’s School effective July 1, 2008.

Beginning last April, the Search Committee worked with search consultants from Educators’ Collaborative to identify candidates for the new Head of School. There was great interest in the position and after reviewing the credentials of candidates from across the globe, eight extremely qualified educators were interviewed by the Search Committee. After extensive reference checks and further discussion, three candidates were then invited to visit the School where over two days they met with faculty, administrators, students, parents, trustees and with members of the Search Committee. Following these visits and with input from the School’s constituents, the Search Committee voted unanimously to recommend the appointment of Ms. Murphy as Head-Elect to the Board of Trustees. At a meeting on December 3rd, 2007 the Board of Trustees unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Search Committee.

Ms. Murphy has been IB Coordinator and Head of the English Department at St.
Stephen’s since 2003. She has over twenty years of experience in international education, including twelve years at the Foundation of the International School of Geneva where she co-chaired the English Department and was responsible for establishing and running their Professional Development Center, providing for the needs of the entire faculty of the Foundation's three K-12 campuses. She has also taught at Marymount International School in Rome, the British Institute in Florence and Belfairs
High School for Girls, U.K. Ms. Murphy has served as the faculty member on the St. Stephen’s Board of Trustees since October 2004. Ms. Murphy has been living in Rome for eight years with her husband Enzo Bencini.

Lesley Murphy is an exceptional educator who describes St. Stephen’s as a “gem of a school” and who is committed to leading the School to an ever higher level of academic excellence. She has the intellectual curiosity, diplomacy, ethics, and the organizational, problem solving and communication skills to successfully follow Phil Allen’s “Golden Age”. Her four years at the School put her in an optimal position to ensure continuity with the School’s philosophy of education while at the same time introducing and implementing new ideas.