The Hockaday School. Photography by Danny Fulgencio.
Laura Leathers is the new Eugene McDermott Head of School at The Hockaday School.
Leathers, who has a daughter at Hockaday, has been the interim head of school since Karen Warren Coleman resigned as the head of school following the 2021-22 school year, after five years in the position. Before then, Leathers was the assistant head of school for academic affairs. She will move into her new position Jan. 1, 2023.
She was selected from a group of almost 200 potential candidates, who work at schools across the United States.
“I believe Laura is truly the best of both worlds,” Nicole Ginsburg Small, chair of the Hockaday Board of Trustees, says in a release. “She is both an innovative thinker with a long and impressive career as an educator and administrator, as well as a thoughtful and strategic leader who has gained a deep appreciation of Hockaday’s long and impactful history in educating girls to live lives of purpose.”
Leathers earned a bachelor of arts in biochemistry from Lafayette College and a doctorate in pharmacology from the University of Vermont, and she was a fellow at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She will continue to teach a section of chemistry, in addition to her new role as head of school.
Dr. Laura Leathers was named the new Eugene McDermott Head of School at The Hockaday School. Photography courtesy of The Hockaday School.
Mandy Ginsberg, the chair of the search committee, said in the release that after the search, which was conducted with consultant RG175, Leathers emerged as the best candidate for the position.
“Dr. Leathers already knows Hockaday and knows what matters most,” Ginsberg said. “She leads by example, is committed and respected by faculty and staff, is a strategic thinker, and brings integrity and character every day she comes to work.”
Founded by Ela Hockaday, the school in Preston Hollow is 109 years old. But the school has made important changes in recent years. These include the decisions to phase out the boarding program, which had been seeing lower enrollment, and to modify requirements for graduation attire.
“This is both a tremendous honor and a great opportunity, and it is my goal to ensure that our girls are in a position to succeed today and in the future,” Leathers said in the release. “I am a passionate believer in educating girls and young women to be capable, confident contributors to their communities and the world.”
