Breadcrumb

Leadership & Strategic Priorities

Head of School Office

Welcome from the Head of School

LFA is a boarding school with a long and rich tradition. Founded in 1857, small classes, active and varied learning experiences, and a close-knit advisory system are all important parts of our history.
 

LFA prides itself on having both a Midwestern heart and a global mind as we bring together boarding and day students from all over Illinois, the US, and the world. We provide a rigorous education that extends beyond the classroom curriculum. Our teachers live on campus and work with students in an educational program that continues well after the school day ends.

LFA provides each student with an enriching curriculum notable for its depth and breadth. Students also take part in athletics, the performing arts, service-learning, and clubs. Through this broad range of experiences, LFA students gain the confidence, self-reliance, and compassion that enable them to be thoughtful members of any community.

I hope that you find the LFA website helpful on its own, but I also encourage you to contact members of the community directly for further information.

John A. Strudwick
Head of School

Head of School Office

John Strudwick

John Strudwick

Head of School, History and Social Science Faculty
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William Dolbee

William Dolbee

Associate Head of School, History and Social Science Faculty,, Ned and Lynn Jessen Chair in the Humanities
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Chris Tennyson

Chris Tennyson

Assistant Head of School, Dean of Students & Academic Affairs, Mathematics Faculty
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Sarah Hill

Sarah Hill

Senior Executive Assistant to the Head of School & Board of Trustees
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Board of Trustees

Board of Trustees

Dr. Makola M. Abdullah ’86, Vice Chair
Mr. Todd E. Altounian ’86
Mr. Bruce W. Anderson ’70
Mrs. Sylvia Barros ’90
Mrs. Molly Pearson Campbell ’04
Mr. Patrick J. Carroll II ’87
Mr. Charles T. Cooper ’96, Treasurer
Mr. J. Patrick Corsiglia
Mr. Jim C. Cowart ’69
Ms. Ann Danner
Ms. Jessica P. Douglas ’96
Mr. Christopher E. Freeburg ’90
Mr. Gregory P. Glass
Mr. Haji L. Glover ’92
Mr. Duane Jackson ’01
Mr. Ned Jessen
Mr. Gregory K. Jones
Mr. Scott W. Kaeser ’96

Mr. Thomas B. Kelley ’65
Mr. Erik S. Kimble ’85
Mr. Rumi Kuli ’93
Mr. Ben Malek ’91
Mr. William F. Markey
Mr. John S. Marlatt ’65, Board Chair
Mr. Scott Meloun ’77
Ms. Bethann Moritz (Filip)
Mr. O. Keith Owen III ’64
Ms. Katherine Gray Pollock ’70
Ms. Tatyana I. Pramatarova ’05
Mrs. Judith Reid-Anderson
Ms. Emily Sammon ’91
Ms. Ramona Sequeira (Shaw)
Mr. Amish S. Shah ’92
Mrs. Marianne Silver, Member at Large
Mr. Mark S. Stevens
Mr. Richard L. Zhao ’04, Secretary

Strategic Plan 2018

LFA's Strategic Plan 2018 is made up of five core initiatives for the next three years. The school will develop specific action steps and tactics in order to achieve these strategic initiatives as well as monitor and measure progress on a regular basis.

1. Increased Endowment Growth

  • Increase the LFA Endowment, with a goal of $50 million by 2021, to improve the long-term financial strength of the school.
  • Generate a significant and sustained increase in major and planned gifts.
  • Identify and solicit donors to establish endowed support of Student Financial Aid, Faculty Chairs, and Speaker Funds.
  • Establish the goal that at least 25% of all monies raised each year is put into the endowment.

2. Enhanced Faculty & Staff Quality

  • Increase faculty and staff salaries and benefits over time to be commensurate with our place among the best independent boarding schools nationally.
  • Expand and improve faculty housing to support the attraction and retention of faculty and increase the number of teaching faculty living on campus.
  • Increase professional development opportunities.
  • Increase the number of Faculty Chairs to stimulate innovation and faculty development.

3. Mission-Driven School Leadership

  • Ensure the successful hiring and transition of a new Head of School who is committed to leading and advancing the school’s educational excellence, including the established focus on pluralism, a global educational experience, and a boarding school culture.
  • Enhance efforts to recruit, mentor, and retain faculty, staff, and trustees who advance the LFA mission and mirror the demographic diversity of the student body.
  • Examine the optimal size and composition of the student body, including a consideration of the benefits and costs of increasing the size of the school.
  • Broaden the access to an LFA education, thereby advancing equality of opportunity and the diversity and quality of the student body.

4. Creative, Innovative and Personalized Education

  • Strengthen the personalized educational experience of every student in order to prepare them for a successful college experience.
  • Develop and implement a vision for innovative education specifically through academic technology, collaborative teaching, and interdisciplinary programs.
  • Improve multicultural competencies and integrate and facilitate meaningful cross-cultural interactions in all areas of school life.
  • Strengthen LFA’s commitment to and leadership of “Educating Global Citizens.”

Communication of Vision and Content

  • Improve and expand the LFA website as well as other marketing and communication resources and materials, particularly for admissions, alumni relations, and athletics.
  • Strengthen LFA’s identity, presence, and leadership in the local community.
  • Increase and enhance LFA’s institutional identity in national and global markets.