MPH narrows candidates for top job down to two finalists

Manlius Pebble Hill School has narrowed its search for a head of school to two finalists from among more than three dozen candidates.

Independent school educators Donald S. Berger, of Cary, N.C., and D. Scott Wiggins, of Concord, Mass., are the top candidates selected to fill the pos previously held by Baxter F. Ball, who died unexpectedly last February after more than two decades as head of school.

Berger has been head of school at North Carolina’s Cary Academy since 1996. Prior to that, he was employed for 11 years by Manlius Pebble Hill, most recently as head of upper school. Earlier, he taught English at Moses Brown School in Providence, R.I.

Wiggins recently left the Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass. after eight years as head of school. His previous credentials in independent education include eight years as principal of upper school at Metairie Park Country Day School in Metairie, La., and positions with independent schools in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Colorado.

A decision is expected on Nov. 8.