Rhonda Durham
Rhonda feels inordinately blessed to have served the cause of the best of independent school education in special roles and meaningful ways. Now, as a Senior Consultant for the firm’s Search Group, she is privileged to work with so many other wonderful people similarly devoted and is “all in” when helping a school with their imperative work to secure excellent leadership.
Since joining the firm several years ago, she has principally engaged in head of school search, focusing in the Southwest, and has worked on numerous upper school division head searches. Rhonda finds joy and meaning in serving trustees’ needs that enable them to do their best work and she embraces the privilege to “further” careers of aspiring leaders. Her hope for the future is buoyed by mentoring and matching dedicated educators to their best mission and place to flourish. On occasion, she consults on special projects with all-girls’ education, church-school governance, addition of the upper grades division, and head/board relations being areas of notable expertise.
Previous Experience
As former Executive Director of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) – a position she held for 12 years – Rhonda led the accreditation program, professional development programs for heads, board chairs and trustees, administrators, and teachers, and provided educational resources to schools in six Southwestern states. She has worked with many boards during their head of school leadership transitions and on governance matters, and has especially enjoyed orienting scores of new heads to posts. She chaired the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Commission on Accreditation for three years and was the founding Chair of the International Council Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA). As a national leader in independent school affiliate organizations, her outreach network for leadership candidates is extensive. Prior, she served as Head of School at Trinity School (TX) and has filled a number of other independent school positions, including teacher, director of admission, interim development director, and trustee. She was co-manager of an investment limited partnership for 10 years prior to becoming a head of school.
Rhonda is a trustee at her alma mater, Norfolk Academy (VA), and is a trustee of the Episcopal School of Dallas (TX). In 2018, The National Business Officers Association (NBOA) honored her with their Sarah P. Daignault Outstanding Support of Independent Schools Award. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of the ISAS Group Benefits Trust for health insurance, the Texas and Oklahoma Private School Accreditation Commissions (TEPSAC, OPSAC), and the Texas Private Schools Association (TPSA), and is also past-Chair of TEPSAC.
Education & Interests
Rhonda earned her B.A. from Sweet Briar College. She also attended Université de Paris V, Sorbonne, and Southern Methodist University where she studied graduate-level French. Among her other volunteer experiences, she has served on the Chamber of Commerce Steering Committee for Objectives for Midland, the Boards of Directors of Hospice, The Museum of the Southwest, Midland Community Theatre, Metropolitan YMCA, United Way of Midland, Leadership Midland, and Midland Teen Court, is a past President of the Junior League of Midland, and an Elder in the Presbyterian Church.
She is a former Groton School (MA) and St. Paul’s School (NH) parent and a current Episcopal School in the City of New York and Trinity School (NY) grandparent.