CS&A Welcomes Darryl J. Ford as Vice President, Education Leadership Services
We’re excited to share the news that Darryl J. Ford will join our team as a key leader in our Search & Consulting Group, following his retirement this summer as Head of School at William Penn Charter School. In addition to leading executive searches, Darryl will advance new initiatives to support leaders through transition, mentor and train aspiring leaders – particularly those from marginalized backgrounds – and direct efforts at advancing the social impact for educators and students across a wide range of educational organizations. Darryl will begin his work with CS&A in the fall of 2023.
In the world of K-12 education, it’s hard to imagine someone who has made more of a difference over the last three decades than Darryl Ford. As a transformational Head of School; a steadfast leader for faith-based educational organizations; a vocal advocate for access and supporting low income families and schools; a national trailblazer in issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; an inspiring mentor and role model for countless aspiring leaders and students – Darryl has positively impacted numerous educators and school communities all over the country.
Darryl shares, “I am excited to join Carney, Sandoe & Associates, and I look forward to partnering with colleagues who are working to make a difference in leadership development in independent schools. A long-established leader in school recruitment and leadership search, I am thrilled that CS&A is continuing to grow its commitment to serving schools in new and exciting ways and am eager to be part of such a progressive team. With all of the change and challenges in schools today, I can think of no more important work than attracting great educators and supporting their success in schools.”
In July, Darryl will retire as Head of School at William Penn Charter School (PA), after 16 years of outstanding service in that role. Under Darryl’s leadership, the School has enjoyed unprecedented growth and success across a wide variety of initiatives. While his stewardship of resources and the transformation of the campus has been ambitious and remarkable (including a new Athletic & Wellness Center, a new Performing Arts Center, a visionary $130M capital campaign, and a soon-to-come new Lower School building), his advancement of the School and support of the well-being of Penn Charter community will remain his most enduring legacy. An advocate for building more inclusive and supportive communities, Darryl has worked steadfastly on these goals throughout his tenure, and the School now benefits from a more diverse student body, faculty, and curricular offerings.
In addition to the demanding responsibilities of running a large Pre-K-12 independent school, Darryl has been extraordinarily generous in his support and advocacy of a number of other organizations and programs which he finds meaningful. He has served as a national leader in Quaker schools for much of his professional career; this spring he will be awarded the Lifetime Leadership in Service Award by the Friends Council on Education, a national association of Quaker schools. He also has been frequently recognized as an important national voice for promoting DEIB initiatives in schools, especially with respect to supporting aspiring leaders of color in their vocational journeys. Darryl served as one of CS&A’s founding faculty members for our DEIB Forum in Philadelphia 10 years ago, and he looks forward to joining CS&A and helping to further its work on DEIB initiatives. Going back to his time as Head and Executive Director at St. Gregory Episcopal School, a low-tuition school for boys in Chicago, he consistently has advocated on behalf of schools and families that have the least financial resources, and this remains a passion for Darryl as he moves into his next professional journey with CS&A.
Devereaux McClatchey, CS&A President, reflects, “We are thrilled to welcome Darryl to the CS&A team. Darryl’s leadership in independent education has been extraordinary, and his integrity, vision, and infectiously positive spirit have inspired innumerable educators for decades. We have been struck by the number of aspiring leaders who have shared with us how important Darryl has been in terms of inspiring them and shaping the arcs of their careers. To be able to work shoulder to shoulder with him in advancing the hopes and ambitions of educators and schools is nothing short of a dream come true.”
Darryl is a member of the board of AIM Academy, Cliveden of the National Trust, and the Cum Laude Society. Prior board service includes Villanova University, Friends Council on Education, National Board for Education Sciences, Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, The Heads Network, Steppingstone Scholars, and Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools’ Commission on Accreditation. He has presented at dozens of regional and national conferences, and has written for a variety of publications. A graduate of Friends Select School in Philadelphia, he earned a B.A. in Honors Liberal Arts and a B.S. in Social Studies Education from Villanova University. He holds an M.A. in Educational Administration and Ph.D. in Educational Administration, Institutional, and Policy Studies from the University of Chicago.