The Willow School
Announces New Head of School

The Willow School Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the unanimous confirmation of Kate Burke Walsh as the new Head of School, effective July 1, 2007. Ms. Walsh’s appointment was the result of an exhaustive nationwide search that took into consideration critical input from the Willow School community, including parents, teachers and administration. Founder, Gretchen Biedron called Walsh’s vision and experience “a perfect match” for The Willow School.

Kate Walsh comes to The Willow School from the Washington D.C. area with over 28 years of experience in teaching, school administration, leadership, curriculum development, teacher education and financial management and development. Her most recent position includes serving as Chief Administrative Officer at the French International School, Lycee Rochambeau in Bethesda, MD. Between 1995 and 2004, Ms. Walsh led international initiatives, first with Children's Resources International and later with Georgetown University's Child and Human Development Center, to design, develop, implement, and manage democratic teaching practices in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  Prior to that, Ms Walsh served as Assistant Head of School at the Beauvoir School in Washington DC. Walsh completed her undergraduate studies at The American University in Washington, D.C. and got her masters in Early Childhood Education from Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio.

Walsh’s exemplary education and extensive work experience will serve her well to lead The Willow School, an independent K-8 day school, in its next phase of growth. Immediate projects for Walsh will include overseeing the final construction of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified Art and Science Center. The Willow School, located at 1150 Pottersville Road in Gladstone, interweaves a rigorous academic program with an ecological and ethical perspective.