Encompassing academic and administrative responsibilities, the new position of Associate Head of School will serve as second-in-command to the Head of School and help balance those responsibilities. This role was created to replace the Assistant Head of School, Academics, a position held by Michal Hershkovitz, who is departing Poly this summer.
“[This role] serves as chief strategic partner to the Head of School, overseeing mission-critical programs, leading faculty hiring, equity training, evaluation, and guiding institutional strategy,” wrote Dr. Noni Thomas López, Head of School, in an email announcing the creation of this position to the Poly community on April 7, 2026. The email also stated that Poly hired Dr. Cyndy Jean to fill this position, and she will begin work on July 1, 2026.
Currently, the Assistant Head of School, Academics oversees all aspects of the academic curriculum. The Associate Head of School’s work will be grounded in teaching but also accountable for administrative work beyond academics. “This person’s primary responsibility will be oversight of our academic program and supporting our division head, heads of departments, department chairs, and faculty. Also [this person will] be involved in some wider operational aspects of the school” said Thomas López. The Associate Head of School will serve as a strategic partner and cover for the Head of School when she is elsewhere.
This decision to replace the Assistant Head of School, Academics role with the Associate Head of School role was ultimately made by Thomas López, who consulted with department chairs and division heads. Thomas López stated that other schools, especially of Poly’s size, have someone in a similar role. Although she is unsure why Poly did not have this position previously, the role of Associate Head of School existed at her prior job, and she believed both she and the larger Poly community would benefit from a similar structure. This position also aligns with Jean’s previous job, where she served as Associate Head of School at Hackley School, according to the Poly Prep Website.
Sarah Bates, Head of Upper School, agreed with the necessity to form this position to supplement the responsibilities of Head of School, describing this role as a “number two” in the administrative hierarchy. The person in this role would be“someone who can really have ownership, authority and agency to take on decision making and parts of Dr. Thomas López’s job when she’s absent,” as Bates put it.
In terms of candidate features, Thomas López desired someone with prior experience working with a Nursery through twelfth grade curriculum, who has organizational and communication skills, and who values diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, viewing Poly through those lenses. Further, she hoped for someone with humor and charisma can balance her strengths.
Despite its similarities to the former Assistant Head of School, Academics Position, the new Associate position brings structural changes for faculty. “It asks folks to work in different ways and to take on different things,” said Thomas López, specifically, the supervisory structure.
Currently, division heads, such as Bates, Head of Middle School Daniel Doughty, and Head of Lower School Francis Yasharian, report directly to the Head of School. Now, they will report to the Associate Head of School. “The Head of School has a lot of roles reporting to them, which makes support good, but I think it could be great. That’s what the Associate Head will do, provide structured support to ensure that the academic program is as strong and engaging as possible,” said Thomas López.
In terms of the process for searching for the role, a recruitment profile description for Associate Head of School was posted online in December of 2025. The job description stated, “This is an exceptional opportunity for a proven educational leader who inspires others and has a track record of implementing transformative initiatives.” The document outlines the position’s roles and responsibilities, as well as its opportunities and challenges.
The recruitment profile was posted through Carney Sandoe, a hiring company that has previously placed senior leadership at Poly. “We wanted a firm that knew us well and that I felt comfortable working with,” said Thomas López. The consultants referenced as contacts are Heather Flewelling and Allison Gaines Pell. “Poly represents in so many ways what is best about Brooklyn — diverse, flexible, ambitious and steeped in culture — and we wanted to find someone who would work well in that context and who would collaborate well with school leadership, faculty, staff and parents there, but also someone who really could fall in the love with the school as many there clearly have,” wrote Pell in an email to The Polygon.
Poly received over one hundred applications for the position, according to Pell. “The biggest challenge was narrowing down the pool of candidates,” wrote Pell in the email. They remained in continuous contact with Thomas López to understand the school’s culture and the position’s expectations. Eventually, they narrowed the applicant pool down to four candidates, who came to Poly to meet faculty and staff. “[The visits] helped the community get a sense of the four very different leaders who were interested in the role. The input of faculty, staff, parents and students was very important,” wrote Pell.
“There have been areas of school life, particularly with direct interaction with students, that has been hard to do consistently this year because I have been pulled in so many different directions,” said Thomas López. “I am really excited that this role will allow my time to free up and give me the opportunity to connect in more areas, particularly with students.”
