Dear HMI Community,
It is my great pleasure to announce that the Board of Trustees has selected Sam Critchlow to serve as HMI’s next Head of School, to begin July 1, 2023.
After a comprehensive and thoughtful process over the past six months, culminating in the visits of a strong group of finalists who met the HMI community over multiple days, the Search Committee and the Board believe Sam is uniquely well suited to lead HMI into its next chapter. Sam had broad and enthusiastic support from across the HMI community, and we are thrilled to welcome him as Head of School.
Sam comes to us from the Maine School of Science and Mathematics, a residential magnet school in northern Maine, where he serves as Executive Director. Sam has previously worked at public and private schools in both the Intermountain West and New England, including spending four years teaching math at HMI from 2007 to 2011. Sam knows HMI well, but he will also bring important new perspectives from the schools where he has served in the years since he was last with us. Sam has a deep passion for education, a lifelong love of the outdoors, and a demonstrated commitment to diversifying the educational communities in which he has worked.
Although you will have plenty of time to get to know Sam once he takes his position as Head, we asked him to share a few words to introduce himself to the community:
“I am overjoyed to be returning to HMI! My recent visit to Leadville confirmed my memories of the school: a place of natural beauty, deep values, engaged learning, and matchless community. During my visit, the impressive growth and development of the past decade were apparent; so too were the founding vision and inspiration I knew first-hand from Christopher and Molly Barnes. I look forward to reconnecting with the HMI community in the coming months, and returning next summer in my new role!”
As the search concludes, I want to thank all of you for your engagement throughout this process. The Search Committee truly appreciates the thoughtful feedback you provided, and it has been a joy to connect with so many of you through the search.
With that, I hope you will join me in welcoming Sam into his new role and supporting him in this exciting transition. The Board is incredibly pleased to be taking this step, and we look forward to seeing what the future brings!
With gratitude,
Whitney Leonard, Chair, Head of School Search Committee; Semester 7 Alumna
Mo Copeland, Chair, Board of Trustees