Announcing our Next Head of School

October 11, 2024

Dear IMS Community,

With great enthusiasm, we write to announce the appointment of Lisa Sun as the Eleventh Head of Indian Mountain School. Lisa brings 30 years of experience as an educator and leader in public, independent day and boarding schools from Pre-K through Grade 12, most recently as Head of School at The Philadelphia School, a Pre-K through Grade 8 school in Pennsylvania. Lisa will begin her tenure on the Mountain on July 1, 2025.

The Head of School Search Committee and Board of Trustees set out to find a head of school who will pursue excellence by leading with curiosity, purpose, and joy. From among a slate of exceptional candidates, Lisa emerged as the leader best suited to take IMS to its next summit. During her time as Head of The Philadelphia School, Lisa demonstrated exceptional leadership in strategic planning and execution, including leading successful initiatives to improve retention and experience for students, faculty and staff. Working closely with her team and the Board of Trustees, Lisa also led the largest and most ambitious capital campaign in her school’s history, securing the stability of the school’s finances and physical plant. Beyond her administrative achievements, Lisa is deeply committed to nurturing a school culture in which students, faculty, staff, and families are known, supported, and challenged to grow. As we got to know Lisa through this thoughtful and comprehensive search process, it became clear that there was a natural alignment of values and vision. We knew that Lisa would embrace, support, and lead the IMS experience with purpose and joy.

As a child who immigrated with her family to the United States from South Korea, Lisa’s deep belief in the value of relational education is palpable. In her formative years as a student in public school, Lisa learned first hand the immense power that teachers hold to positively shape a student’s life path and sense of self. Thanks to the impact of an attentive art teacher, Lisa began her career in education teaching art to both high school and pre-k through third grade students. To this day, Lisa finds time to think, rest, and reset in the ceramic studio. Lisa moved from the classroom into administration as the first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion director at Nashoba Brooks School. At the same time, she and her husband worked as dormitory parents at Concord Academy and The Walnut Hill School. Lisa went on to hold numerous teaching and administrative leadership positions at The Park School of Baltimore before assuming her headship at The Philadelphia School seven years ago.

The Search Committee and Board are confident that Lisa will continue IMS’s current momentum while acting as the visionary and solutionary leader who will take IMS to greater heights. She is committed to deepening IMS’s mission to inspire the courage to climb, the joy to create, the passion to learn, and the spirit to contribute in kind and meaningful ways.

On behalf of the Board and our entire school community, we thank the Search Committee, our search partners at Isaacson, Miller, as well as the faculty, staff, parents, and alumni whose thoughtful and critical input helped guide this important work. Over the coming months, the Board will work closely with Lisa Sun, Scott Erickson, and the IMS faculty and staff to ensure a seamless and successful transition of leadership. There will also be opportunities to introduce Lisa to the IMS community, and we will continue to update our web page with information.

Please join us in welcoming Lisa Sun and her family to IMS!

David Nuzum P’25 ’27
President of the Board of Trustees / Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee

Savannah Stevenson P’26 ’31
Trustee / Co-Chair, Head of School Search Committee