Our 9-member staff includes two former Heads of School, a former independent school administrator, independent school parents, and individuals with experience in admissions, college counseling, financial analysis, and publications management.  Collectively, members of our firm have served on 10 independent school Boards of Trustees. We understand the issues facing schools, the demands of trusteeship, and the complexities of contemporary Board-Head relationships.

 

While serving as Dean of Admission at Princeton University, Jim Wickenden visited more than 750 public and 250 independent schools throughout the United States, interacting with hundreds of school leaders and developing a rare breadth of knowledge about schools and schooling.

 

Our computer database of candidates includes more than 6,000 individuals who hold or are seeking leadership positions in independent schools. With 16 years of comprehensive information about candidates’ professional experiences, career goals, and job search histories, our database allows us to develop lists of potential candidates carefully tailored to the unique requirements of each school we serve.

Our availability to clients and our ability to provide prompt, efficient administrative and clerical support are distinguishing features of Wickenden Associates.  We differ from many of our competitors in that our office is fully staffed every day during normal business hours, ensuring a quick response to inquiries from our clients as well as prompt, courteous treatment of candidates.

 

	We offer the best candidate research in the business, conducting extensive telephone reference checks with at least five sources for each finalist candidate in our searches. Four of our staff members specialize in this critically important area.
	We have established credibility with and earned the appreciation of candidates for our efforts to ensure a “goodness of fit” between school and prospective Head.

Now in our second decade of service to independent schools, we are particularly proud of our ongoing relationships with schools and school leaders, who turn to us for a variety of services.