Principal Search Question and Answers

After serving in the role as Appleby College’s Principal for the last 15 years, coupled with Appleby’s strong position as one of Canada’s leading independent schools, Innes van Nostrand informed the Board that he believes this is the right time to introduce fresh perspective and energy, and is confident that the change will serve the community well. Principal van Nostrand has enjoyed a successful 42-year career in education and is looking forward to spending more time with his wife and to having more flexibility to do things that have not been possible in past many years.

Appleby’s Head of School and Deputy Principal Fraser Grant ’87 has indicated his preference to continue in his current role and has elected not to be a candidate for Principal. The Search and Advisory Committee has and will continue to consult with both Innes van Nostrand, Principal and Fraser Grant throughout the process.

The Search and Advisory Committee includes current members of Appleby’s Board of Governors, as well as two Appleby employees. Its members are: Bill Benson ’79, Burhana Bello-Ayorinde, Aubrey Baillie ’63, Jas Brar ’98, Andrew Cockwell ’93, Shen Goh ’91, Steven Latimer, Janice Madon, Dante Morra ’91, Tracey Pearce-Dawson, Geoff Spidle ’87, and Christine Vasilaros.

In determining the composition of the committee, the Board consulted with school leaders in collecting recommendations. Together, committee members represent many of the various constituency groups that make up the Appleby community (parents, alumni, parents of alumni, donors, and employees). The committee is also intentionally structured to reflect diverse experiences, expertise, and perspectives relevant to the position and the school.

The mandate of the Principal Search and Advisory Committee is to:

• Undertake a comprehensive search process
• Inform the candidate package for the next Principal
• Establish candidate selection criteria
• Interview and assess candidates
• Select finalist candidates for the position of Principal and make a recommendation to the Board of Governors
• Through the Chair, communicate regularly with the Board of Governors and other Appleby stakeholders (once the search is public) on the progress of the search

Principal van Nostrand has indicated his preference to retire as of the end of the 2026-2027 school year, but has also indicated his willingness to serve beyond this time if it would be helpful in the search process.

The hiring of the Principal is an important responsibility of the Board of Governors and is a priority. With input from the community through focus groups, one-on-one conversations, and online surveys, the Search and Advisory Committee will develop the Position Profile, which is scheduled to be released early in the process.

The Board of Governors, which is responsible for selecting the next Principal, hopes to announce their decision in early 2027 but recognizes both the complexity and competitiveness of the marketplace so the timing of the announcement may be adjusted earlier or later.

Focus continues on delivering an exceptional Appleby experience for students while advancing implementation of the school’s strategic vision - Beacon Appleby, our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.

To support the Principal Search the Board has retained Heather Ring who leads Caldwell Partners’ Academic, Not-for-Profit, Social Enterprise, and Culture Practice, to manage the search process. Heather has done this work for many of the top independent schools in Canada, including Appleby’s last Principal Search, and the school's recent Chief Financial Officer search. She is a recognized leader in the field, and will be working with Appleby's Chief People Officer, Majella Hillsdon.

Caldwell’s role in this process will be to develop a diverse pool of candidates, each highly qualified to meet Appleby’s needs. Caldwell will facilitate candidate engagement with the Search and Advisory Committee and the Board and will support them through their review and selection process. All applications and nominations will be kept confidential.

A series of community consultation sessions (focus groups and one-on-one meetings) will take place throughout the months of April and May to collect input from the school community. A confidential and anonymous online survey will also be shared with community stakeholders and the data from the survey will be collected and compiled by Caldwell Partners and shared with the Search and Advisory Committee.

Yes. To facilitate the recruitment of high-quality candidates, the identity of or details regarding candidates will not be publicly disclosed during the search process to ensure integrity of the process is maintained and to protect both the candidate and their current community.

Please contact ACprincipalsearch@caldwell.com.