Paul A. Burke Appointed as Seventh Head of Nightingale-Bamford

The Board of Trustees of the Nightingale-Bamford School last night approved the appointment of Paul A. Burke as the seventh head of school, effective July 1, 2012.Mr. Burke, who was the unanimous first choice of the board’s search committee, will succeed Dorothy A. Hutcheson, who is stepping down after 20 years.

AN INSPIRING LEADER
After more than a decade of teaching and leadership in independent schools, Mr. Burke came to Nightingale-Bamford as head of Upper School in 2008. In announcing his appointment, President of the Board Nina Joukowsky Köprülü ’79 said: “For students, parents, administrators, and faculty, he has been that rare leader whose passion inspires passion and whose ideas inspire ideas. His intellect, judgment, vision, and humor have earned him respect both within and beyond the school.”

Said Debora Spar, president of Barnard College and a Nightingale trustee: “I am delighted that the Nightingale board has chosen Paul Burke as the school’s new head. Paul is an inspiring leader and gifted educator with a deep commitment to Nightingale’s students and faculty. He is the perfect person to succeed Dorothy Hutcheson and to lead the school into a new era.”

The selection of Mr. Burke was the culmination of a national search during which a nine-member committee—chaired by alumna, trustee, and former head of Greenwich Academy Patsy Gilchrist Howard—worked closely with consultants from Educators’ Collaborative to identify and review dozens of candidates. Said Mr. Burke: “Nightingale is that exceptional school that is steadfast in its pursuit of its mission. The school has been fortunate to benefit from Dorothy Hutcheson’s leadership over the past twenty years, and I am honored and eager to build on her success while looking to the future for our graduates.”

According to Ms. Hutcheson: “Working with Paul has been an absolute joy. He has shown such a passion for our school and for girls’ education, and I know that no one could do more for our students and faculty than he will.”

ABOUT PAUL A. BURKE
Mr. Burke began his career in 1996 as a college counselor at the Salisbury School in Connecticut. In 2000, he joined the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, where he was college advisor for three years before becoming a dean of students; he currently sits on Packer’s board of trustees. An American history teacher for more than a decade, Mr. Burke graduated from Williams College and earned a Masters degree in Educational Administration from Columbia University Teachers College, where he was inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi honor society. Mr. Burke is married to Christine Rowe Burke, a senior marketing executive; they have twin five-year-old sons and a three-year-old daughter.

ABOUT THE NIGHTINGALE-BAMFORD SCHOOL
Founded by two bold, visionary entrepreneurs in the same year that women won the right to vote, the Nightingale-Bamford School has helped generations of girls to become strong, independent, confident women. We offer a rigorous, college-preparatory education to 550 girls from Kindergarten through grade 12 in a caring and attentive school community.

PRESS INQUIRIES
Please direct all press inquiries to Darrel Frost, director of communications, at dfrost@nightingale.org or (212) 933-6507. More information may be found here.