Head of School Search

Dear Lick-Wilmerding Community, 

 

On behalf of the Lick-Wilmerding Board of Trustees and the Head of School Search Committee, we are honored and thrilled to announce that Raj Mundra has been selected as our next Head of School starting July 1, 2023. Raj will succeed Katie Titus, our Interim Head of School, who will be with us for the 2022–2023 school year. 

 

Leading with “humility, empathy, and gratitude,” Raj brings a wealth of independent school leadership experience to Lick-Wilmerding High School. He joins LWHS from Phillips Academy Andover, where he was recently named Deputy Head of School for Academics and Student Affairs. Raj has more than 30 years of experience in independent school education, including 25 years at Andover as a biology teacher, senior administrator, house counselor, and athletics coach. Prior to his role as Deputy Head of School, Raj’s leadership positions at Andover included Dean of Studies, Associate Dean of Students, Residential Dean, and Assistant Dean of the Community and Multicultural Development Office. He has also served as Deputy Head, Secondary School, at the Aga Khan Academy in Kenya.

 

Raj impressed the Search Committee with his dedication to academic excellence, passion for public purpose and commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). At Andover, he advocates for and leads the academic program for 1,150 students, 170 teaching faculty, 18 departments and 300+ courses, providing vision, resources and support to deliver an innovative and highly regarded teaching and learning environment. Raj founded, and has led, Andover’s flagship international service learning program, Niswarth (Hindi for “not for self”), for 15 years and has developed numerous student leadership programs including Be LOVED (Living Our Values Every Day). 

 

Raj’s deep commitment to the principles of DEI is reflected in his work at Andover where he led efforts to promote inclusive pedagogical practices in the curriculum; worked with department chairs to create DEI frameworks for the teaching departments; developed the CAMD Scholar program, an innovative summer independent research program focused on multiculturalism; collaborated with the Dean of Faculty to oversee hiring and evaluation practices to build and support a diverse faculty; and served as a co-leader of the Andover Faculty Men of Color group. In each of his roles, Raj’s work is grounded in the belief that for students to engage meaningfully and sustainably with a strong, academic liberal arts program, they must also know that they feel safe (intellectually, emotionally, psychologically and physically) and that they belong (being comfortable, feeling connected, and contributing in different ways).

Reflecting on his appointment, Raj shares:

In addition to his outstanding experience and credentials, we are delighted to have found in Raj a warm and thoughtful leader who loves supporting teenagers. While in senior leadership roles, Raj has also served in the classroom as a biology teacher, on the field as a football coach, and also as an academic advisor and club advisor. We are inspired by his commitment to helping each student “pursue their truest self, discern ideologies, commit to the public good, and live a responsible, fulfilling life.” 

 

Raj’s appointment is the culmination of a comprehensive, international search guided by our outstanding search committee and consultants from Russell Reynolds Associates. This search was informed by the invaluable feedback gathered from our school community during multiple listening sessions with faculty and staff, parenting adults, students, alumni, current members of the leadership team and the Board of Trustees. The information collected from these sessions–hopes, aspirations, challenges, and ideas–formed the basis of the head of school position description and guided every step of our process. 

 

We look forward to introducing Raj to each of you in September and will be scheduling several opportunities both in-person and via zoom. Raj and his wife, Kavita, and their two adult sons, Akshay and Ishaan, are thrilled to be relocating to the Bay Area where they have many friends, and we look forward to welcoming them. 

 

We sincerely thank all members of the LWHS community for your support and engagement in this search process. We are particularly grateful to the dedication of our search committee members who put in long hours over many months, and for the continued support and leadership of our Board of Trustees.

 

We wish you an enjoyable summer and look forward to having you meet both Katie and Raj this fall.
Lara Witter                              Kim Drew                                        Shabnam Koirala Azad

Board of Trustees, Chair       Search Committee Co-Chair         Search Committee Co-Chair

Kim Drew	Trustee, Co-chair of the search committee (Maggie ’18, Matt ’20 & Peter ’23)
Shabnam Koirala Azad	Trustee, Co-chair of the search committee (Alia ’24)
Yakuh Askew ’92	Trustee (Elita ’24)
Lina Garcia	Trustee (Sofia ’19, Marco ’21 & Amelia ’23)
Michecia Jones	English Teacher
Miranda Martin	Trustee (Bridget ’21 & Estella ’23)
Carrie Maslow	Psychology, Anatomy & Physiology Teacher
Jeanette Moore	Chief Financial and Operations Officer
Lara Witter	Board Chair (Annika ’18 & Ingrid ’20)
Charlie Wyman	Trustee (Charlotte ’23)

Dear Lick-Wilmerding Community,

 

It is our honor to announce that the Lick-Wilmerding Board of Trustees has selected Katie Titus to become our Interim Head of School, effective July 1, 2022. Katie was chosen from a pool of impressive candidates after a very thorough search process. This unanimous appointment was the result of united and enthusiastic support from the Search Committee and the broader Lick-Wilmerding community.

 

Leading from “truth and optimism,” Katie brings a wealth of experience to Lick-Wilmerding. At her recent headship at Mercersburg Academy, she successfully oversaw initiatives that improved admissions standards and parent giving. In addition, she led the school through strategic design efforts which resulted in identifying the school’s core values, an updated Mission statement, and five key strategic choices for the school’s future. Prior to joining Mercersburg, Katie spent 20 years as an educator at St. George’s School and Pingree School. Initially a math teacher, Katie moved on to become the Director of College Counseling at Pingree and later Dean of Students and Associate Head for School Life at St. George’s. Throughout her work in teaching, counseling, and school administration, Katie has always valued her connection with students and demonstrates a strong commitment to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion within school communities. She established a Courageous Conversations initiative at Mercersburg with a commitment to fostering a healthy culture for difficult conversations within the school. Also, as part of Mercersberg’s last accreditation cycle, she guided the school to focus their growth initiative on DEI education for adults, a project that will be shared with other schools in the Middle States Association. Read more