Seliat Dairo
Seliat is a Consultant with the Search & Consulting Group, conducting leadership searches and DEIB consulting engagements. In her search and consulting work, she has worked with over 40 independent schools, colleges, and universities all over the world.
Recent head of school searches include The Spence School (NY), The Pingry School (NJ), Lexington Montessori School (MA), and Convent of the Sacred Heart (NY). Recent diversity and key administrator searches include The American School in London (UK), Amherst College (MA), Episcopal Diocese of Virgina (VA), Lycee Francais de New York (NY), Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart (MD), and Children’s Day School (CA).
Seliat joined CS&A in 2016, first working in the Placement Group where she facilitated the placement of over 1,000 teachers and administrators. Throughout her time with the organization, she has been deeply involved in diversity and equity work as a member of our DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) Consulting team. She has also been instrumental in planning Carney Sandoe’s annual FORUM/DEIB conference, and she has presented at numerous conferences and symposia on implicit bias in hiring, professional development opportunities for aspiring administrators of color, and how to build more inclusive school communities.
Previous Experience
Before Carney Sandoe, Seliat worked at Ethical Culture Fieldston School (NY) in the Progressive and Multicultural Education Department. Her projects included researching the most effective ways to recruit and retain candidates of color and other marginalized groups, as well as the development of culturally-inclusive curricula. Additionally, she was integral in the planning of the Progressive Education Network Conference and the Hilltop Diversity Conference.
Education and Interests
A Prep for Prep alum, Seliat is still deeply involved with the organization and volunteers to assist with access initiatives. She graduated from Duke University where she studied Arabic and International Comparative Studies. While working at CS&A, she completed her M.S.Ed. in Education Entrepreneurship from theUniversity of Pennsylvania.
An avid solo traveler, Seliat enjoys exploring the world and her native New York City. Her interests include movement, asking questions, and rebuffing millennial slander.