New Administrator Institute

Lead with clarity, even in uncertainty.

Most new administrators are promoted into leadership without a roadmap. This institute helps you step into your new role with the tools, mindset, and support you need to lead effectively in a boarding school environment.

Through immersive workshops and real-world case studies, you’ll build a strong foundation in decision-making, communication, delegation, and team leadership. You’ll also join a cohort of peers who understand the pressures and pace of campus life, helping you build relationships that extend far beyond the institute.

This experience is ideal for professionals stepping into admin roles for the first time or anyone who wants to lead with more confidence, consistency, and connection.

When

July 21–22, 2025

where

Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, CT

WHO

Boarding school leaders taking on an administrative role for the first time

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Build a leadership framework that supports your school’s strategic goals and unites your team behind a shared vision.

Learn how to lead across levels,from supervisors to team members,while building trust and collaboration across departments.

Gain tools to lead daily operations with clarity, including how to set expectations, manage accountability, and motivate your team.

Improve your approach to feedback and coaching by learning how to have hard conversations with emotional intelligence.

Build a network of fellow new administrators you can lean on for advice, perspective, and support long after the program ends.

Strengthen your decision-making skills by learning how to prioritize effectively and lead with confidence in high-pressure moments.

2025 FACULTY

DR. AMY PATEL

Medical Director, Phillips Academy MA

Dr. Patel is a physician and professional coach board-certified in Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, and Lifestyle Medicine. She completed her residencies in these programs at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Patel earned a BS in Biology and Community Health from Tufts University, and her MD degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine. As a certified coach, she focuses on helping people develop and optimize wellness, leadership, and life skills. Her professional interests are rooted in the belief that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare and evidence-based inclusive health education.

Dr. Patel is also a member of the Sports Medicine Advisory Council for the New England Prep School Athletic Council and a member of the Association of Independent Schools of New England health and wellness annual conference planning committee. She has presented at local and national conferences on a variety of topics such as health and wellness, leadership, and social determinants of health and health disparities. She has conducted school health and health center assessments, and helped schools develop their pandemic response plan.

Dr. Patel is currently the dean of health and wellness and chief medical officer at Phillips Academy. She teaches in the Empathy, Balance, and Inclusion course and guest teaches in physical education and biology on health topics including sexuality and substance use. She also serves as an academic advisor and supports student-led health initiatives as a faculty advisor to several student clubs. She consults across campus on a wide variety of health issues on individual and policy levels. In addition, she is a member of several committees that work to support students, and is also advisor to several student clubs committed to student health and wellness.

In her spare time, Dr. Patel enjoys practicing what she teaches, spending time with family and friends, and traveling throughout the world. She lives on the Andover campus with her husband and two children.

Webster Trenchard

Associate Head of School, The Loomis Chaffee School CT

Webster T. Trenchard is a veteran teacher and administrator with more than three decades of experience in boarding schools. Currently Associate Head of School at The Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut, he has held a range of senior leadership roles since his arrival there in 2000, including Interim Head of School, Dean of Academic Affairs, and Director of College Guidance.

At Loomis Chaffee, Mr. Trenchard has been instrumental in implementing several strategic initiatives and currently oversees the work of the school’s Centers and Special Initiatives, as well as academics, athletics, and college guidance. He also manages much of the school’s day- to-day operations and administrative hiring, and he continues to teach creative writing as a member of the English Department.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Trenchard served in traditional “triple threat” capacities at both Western Reserve Academy (OH) and The Masters School (NY). He also worked in college admissions at Sacred Heart University—a role he revisited later in his career at Amherst College during a sabbatical leave from Loomis—and spent much of his professional life in college guidance. During that time, he traveled extensively, served on the Executive Committee of ACCIS, published in The New York Times and The Boston Globe, and conducted college counseling audits for peer schools.

Mr. Trenchard holds a B.A. in English from Amherst College and an M.A. in Liberal Studies with a focus on creative writing from Dartmouth College. He lives on the Loomis Chaffee campus in Windsor, Connecticut, with his wife, Michele, a member of the Loomis mathematics faculty. Webb and Michele have two adult children and a golden retriever who keeps their empty nest a little less empty.

Learning Courage is a nonprofit membership organization that works with K12 independent schools to reduce incidents, improve responses and support healing from sexual misconduct and abuse by guiding and advising on best practices, tools and resources.

Founded by survivors, Learning Courage understands both the institutional challenges and the importance of keeping survivors at the center of the process, whether the misconduct occurred recently or in the past.