Head of School Search
In February, 2026, Tamara Mount, Hilltop Montessori School Head of School since 2013, announced that she would be moving on from Hilltop.
A note from Tamara to the community
Dear Families and Friends of Hilltop,
The community of Hilltop Montessori School has held my focus, heart, and home for the past thirteen years, and it will for seventeen months more. As you may not know, Head of School contracts typically request notice with a long lead time to allow for a thorough transition process for finding and introducing the next Head of School. As such, I have given advance notice to the Board of Trustees of my intention to fulfill my current contract through June 2027. Then, as of July 1, 2027, this amazing school will have the attention of a new Head of School.
I have so appreciated all that this school was and has become. When I joined the school in 2013, it was a spectacular school community with authentic Montessori programs for Children’s House through Middle School. Others had led it to grow, relocate, and set down roots on this beautiful hilltop. Dedicated staff had been with the school for decades and, along with devoted parents, Board Members, and new staff, have continued to grow the school with me. The school is strong and stable and will be in a great position to benefit from a new leader bringing their passions and skills to its continued growth.
I am looking forward to taking some time to reflect and decide what the next season of life will hold. I can’t imagine a more fulfilling opportunity than I have had here. I love that each day is different, and that I get to interact with so many wonderful people of all ages in so many different ways. This will be a very hard community to leave, but I will do so confident that Hilltop is in great shape and will be in good hands. It has been an honor to lead this school, and I am grateful that I still have many months here.
A note from the Leadership Team of the Board of Trustees
Dear Hilltop Community,
It is with a bittersweet mix of gratitude, sadness, and optimism that we announce that the Hilltop Board of Trustees has accepted Tamara’s request to end her tenure as the head of Hilltop Montessori School at the end of her current contract term, the end of the 2026-27 school year, June 30, 2027. We are grateful that she has given us a lead time of a year and a half to find a replacement while she remains fully engaged, continuing to lead daily operations, advance strategic priorities, and support the Board of Trustees throughout the transition.
Tamara is the most recent of three long-term Heads of School over the past fifty-three years of the school’s history – a remarkable reflection of a thriving and stable school. She has been instrumental to the growth and development of the school during her time as head and her accomplishments over the past thirteen years include, but are in no way limited to:
Program Development & Innovation
- Developing, implementing, and then later expanding the Toddler Program, including a summer renovation to the main building.
- Adding the Learning Specialist Team.
- Creating new Strings and afterschool Mandarin programs in response to parent interest and teacher passions.
- Leading our first steps toward a STEM addition to the Main Building.
Leadership & Community Building
- Leading, mentoring, and nurturing a strong, dedicated, and experienced staff
- Supporting diversity and inclusion at our school
Financial Stewardship & Institutional Sustainability
- Managing the school’s finances, leading to the growth and sustainability of a sizable investment fund and a complete pay-off of our mortgage
- Implementing the Indexed Tuition program and thereby growing the economic diversity and health of Hilltop’s community
Organizational Management & Crisis Management
- Leading our initial American Montessori Society accreditation and spearheading our current re-accreditation process
- Shepherding our school and community through the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic
It has been a great pleasure to work with Tamara through board service, and she will be sorely missed. Her legacy will be apparent in the practices, structures, and relationships she will leave behind.
The Board of Trustees has already begun the initial steps towards finding our next Head of School. The long lead time gives us the space to conduct a thorough and rigorous search. In the coming days, we will share an overview of the Head of School search process, as outlined in the Board of Trustees handbook, including the anticipated timeline and opportunities for community input. We are committed to a thoughtful, inclusive, and deliberate process and will communicate regularly as next steps take shape. Anyone interested in participating or learning more about the search committee requirements and expectations should reach out to Courtney Deal, Incoming Board Chair and HoS Search Committee Chair.
Over the coming year and a half there will be opportunities for us to recognize and celebrate Tamara’s extraordinary contributions. For now, please see below a message from Tamara, and join us in thanking her for the dedication, care, and wisdom she has poured into our school.
With Gratitude,
The Hilltop Montessori School Board of Trustees Leadership Team
- Courtney Deal, Incoming Chair
- Avery Schwenk, Chair
- Nancy Dickson, Outgoing Chair
Tamara announces that the 2027-28 school year will be her last as Head of School
- Courtney Deal: Trustee; Board Leadership Team; Current Parent (Children’s House)
- Laura Ridlehoover: Trustee; Current parent (Children’s House, Lower Elementary)
- Mel Farris: Admin Staff; Current parent (Children’s House)
- Lily Enchin: Toddler Program Teacher; Current parent (Toddler)
- Catherine Flannery: Learning Specialist Teacher; Current parent (Children’s House, Lower Elementary)
- Geneva Morse: Former Trustee; Current parent (Lower Elementary)
- Asher Pucciarello: Former Trustee; Alumni parent
After careful evaluation, the Board selected Educators Collaborative to conduct the search. Not only do they bring a lot of experience in independent school leadership searches, but they employ a process that starts with a deep foundational knowledge of our community, creating a well-rounded understanding of what we need in our next HoS.
As part of the discovery process, Educators Collaborative will be visiting our school. They will be meeting with various administrators, program leads, teachers, and constituencies.
Parent/Caregiver Sessions will be held to ensure EC learns as much as they can about our school, the community, and our culture. This will help them develop an authentic and compelling profile for candidates and to speak knowledgeably in regards to Hilltop’s values with candidates throughout the search process.
Sessions will include discussion designed to help EC better understand the HMS community and the qualities that make our school distinctive. Topics explored will include:
- Why families chose HMS
- What families most value about HMS
- Opportunities and challenges ahead that the new Head of School may face
- Qualities and leadership attributes families hope to see in the next Head of School