Daniel J. Seiden

Daniel J. Seiden

Pinewood Preparatory School has selected Daniel J. Seiden as its next Head of School.

Pinewood's Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the recommendation to hire Seiden from a Leadership Succession Committee comprised of trustees, faculty members, parents and alumni.

"We are excited to welcome Mr. Seiden as our next Head of School," said Dr. Carolyn Baechtle, Chair of the Pinewood Board of Trustees. "It became clear as we came to know Dan over the last couple of months that he possesses the vital qualities and characteristics essential to leading the Pinewood family. He is an energetic and enthusiastic leader who collaborates well with colleagues and inspires them to reach newfound successes."

Seiden currently serves as Assistant Head of School for Advancement at Asheville School, an academically-rigorous, college preparatory boarding and day school in Asheville, North Carolina.

While at Asheville School, Seiden has been responsible for the successful execution of a major capital campaign based on strategic priorities, with an emphasis on endowment growth and facility enhancements. He leads an advancement team of eight members, and serves as a member of the school's senior administrative team, accreditation committee, and strategic review committee.

Prior to his tenure at Asheville School, Seiden served Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut for eight years in a number of roles, including as Director of Development, as Director of Annual Giving, and as a history teacher and coach.

He was also a history and geography teacher and coach at Hilton Head Preparatory School in South Carolina.

Seiden holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Emory University, and a master's degree in business administration from the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is currently a doctoral degree candidate in educational leadership at the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University.

Seiden and his wife Brooke, a Lowcountry native, have two daughters - the oldest of whom will attend Pinewood next year.

"We are so excited to join the Pinewood family, and to help lead the spirited team in place here," Seiden said.

“This selection concludes an intense, four-month search process. Our Leadership Succession Committee conducted an international search focused on candidates who could build on Pinewood's 65-year track record of excellence," Baechtle said.

"The committee reviewed more than fifty applications from more than twenty states and territories and from Asia and Europe. A half-dozen semi-finalists were selected to visit with student leaders, our administrative team, and select faculty and parents. Two finalists then returned to campus to hold Town Hall meetings open to all parents, alumni and faculty. Feedback from our students, parents, alumni and faculty was integral to our successful search," Baechtle added.

"This is a school with unlimited potential, and with a clear sense of its mission and vision. I cannot wait to hit the ground sprinting," Seiden said.

Seiden begins his tenure as Head of School at Pinewood Preparatory School on July 1, 2018.

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