Andover announces leadership transition

Phillips Academy announced today that the 16th Head of School, Raynard S. Kington, MD, PhD, P’24, ’27, will conclude his tenure on June 30, 2027.

Kington was named Head of School in 2019, following John Palfrey’s seven-year tenure, and came to Andover in the summer of 2020 during the global pandemic. Prior to Andover, Kington served for 10 years as President of Grinnell College in Iowa. 

Andover’s Board of Trustees expressed gratitude for Kington’s leadership, which has guided Andover through a period of significant change and achievement. He has advanced initiatives that build on the school’s founding values while expanding its commitment to academic excellence, innovative programs, and financial support that draw talented students from a wide range of backgrounds. 

Key initiatives achieved during his tenure include a comprehensive curriculum review, expanded support for student mental health and wellness, a new Office of Family Engagement, and a leadership development program that joins faculty and staff and serves as a model for other schools. 

“Dr. Kington has achieved all of this amid a challenging pandemic, the completion of the school’s most extensive capital campaign, and numerous essential building projects to enhance our facilities,” wrote Trustee President Amy Falls ’82, P’19, ’21 in a letter to the community. “Through it all he has personified the authentic, courageous, incisive leadership to which we all aspire.”

In his letter to the community, Kington thanked Andover’s “amazing students, gifted faculty, devoted staff, and dedicated trustees and alumni.” He also thanked his family for their unwavering support and generations of his extended family who paved the way for his success. “They were deeply committed to the idea that education was the only path to a better society and a better life,” he wrote. “Their lives and their message led me to Andover.” Throughout his career, Kington has believed in the transformative power of education and of the “potent combination of knowledge and goodness.”

The Board of Trustees will begin the process to identify a successor for Kington. They will partner with an executive search firm and will share more information in the coming weeks.