MPH Board promotes Interim Leader Dunaway to be the New Head of School

reprinted from Eaglenews online

DeWitt — The board of trustees at Manlius Pebble Hill School has appointed James Dunaway to serve as head of school on a permanent basis. Dunaway has led MPH on an interim basis since February.

Dunaway moved to Syracuse in 2014 after 15 years at the Kinkaid School, a large, non-sectarian college preparatory school in Houston, Texas, where he was dean of faculty and assistant headmaster. The Kinkaid School is widely recognized as one of the top independent day schools in the U.S.

While serving briefly as an undergraduate enrollment consultant at Syracuse University, he was recruited by the board to serve as MPH’s interim leader in the midst of a reorganization that included the resignation of his predecessor.

“This was an easy decision for us to make, and there was a fair amount of serendipity at work,” said Board President John Mezzalingua. “Jim happened to move to the area to support his wife’s career at a moment in time when MPH had a crying need for someone with his leadership skills and 35 years of experience working in and leading independent schools.”

Mezzalingua said the MPH board was “delighted” that Dunaway accepted its offer to become head of school.

Prior to his term at Kinkaid, Dunaway spent 20 years at the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, where he was dean of faculty at the time of his departure. He holds master’s degrees from Vanderbilt University and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass., and a bachelor’s degree from Barrington College in Rhode Island.

“I am honored that the board has asked me to continue leading this outstanding institution as we build on its reputation for excellence,” said Dunaway. “In addition to teaching strong skills in the traditional disciplines, we strive to develop our students into confident, creative problem-solvers and critical thinkers who ask persistent and incisive questions and engage deeply with the world beyond Central New York. The greater Syracuse area is fortunate to have MPH as an educational option, and it will be a privilege to work with such a committed group of students, parents, and faculty as we work to make it even better.”

Dunaway lives in DeWitt with his wife, Dr. Libby Barlow, assistant vice president for institutional research and assessment at Syracuse University, and a daughter, Jordan, who is a senior at MPH. The couple also has a son, Judson, who is a sophomore at Villanova University.