Head of School Trey Cassidy is very pleased to announce that Ms. Lisa Baker will be Bancroft's new Upper School division head, an administrative leadership role in which she will serve the students and faculty in Grades 9 through 12. Lisa will succeed Roy Gillette who, after 11 successful years in the role, announced his decision to make 2016-17 his final year at Bancroft. Lisa’s tenure will begin on July 1, 2017.

For the past ten years Lisa has been the upper school division head at The Roeper School in Birmingham, MI, an independent K-12 school for gifted students. She is an active community builder who is passionate about empowering students. "The world demands a tremendous amount from our youth," she says. "I am excited to be joining Bancroft, where complexity is acknowledged, teamwork is embraced, and students are inspired to be their best selves while recognizing their roles in the larger community."

During her time at The Roeper School, Lisa has served as a valuable partner within the administration and led many schoolwide initiatives to strengthen the school's academic program, diversity, and community relationships. Her colleagues describe her as open, authentic, thoughtful, caring, highly intelligent, and very effective when working collaboratively to build a solution. She is a champion for young people and believes strongly in fueling their emerging talents and passions. If students are performing, competing, presenting, advocating, or engaging with the community, you will find her there cheering them on.  

Bancroft undertook an extensive search process to identify the best leader for its Upper School community. Cassidy worked closely with a Committee of faculty, administrators, parents, and students. The Committee identified key characteristics of the ideal candidate to head the Upper School, and used those criteria to narrow the field of 70+ resumes. Committee members video-conferenced with seven semifinalists, providing feedback to help Cassidy select the three top candidates. Each finalist was invited for a campus visit, which included small and large group meetings for Upper School parents, students, and faculty to meet them and provide feedback

Roy Gillette will continue to serve the Upper School faculty and students through the end of the 2016-17 school year. “Roy’s dedicated leadership over the last 11 years has helped put the Upper School in a strong position, with an enthusiastic community already fully embarked on a path of growth and development to meet the needs of our students,” says Cassidy. “When Lisa comes on board this summer, she will help us continue our good work. We are excited to welcome this experienced and dynamic leader to our school community.”