The Abington Friends School Committee has announced the appointment of Nicole Hood as Abington Friends’ 10th Head of School in the modern era. After a thorough and spirit-led process in the manner of Friends, the Search Committee recommended Nicole to School Committee, a recommendation that was enthusiastically supported.

Nicole currently serves as the Upper School Director at The Bryn Mawr School, an independent preK through 12 all-girls school, with a coed preschool. She earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Previously, she served as Director of All-School Programs & Partnerships at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools and has taught at the secondary and university levels. Before beginning her more than 15-year career in leadership in the independent school world, she served as interim executive director of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia.

“The moment the Head of School Search Committee and then the School Committee came to unity around the selection of Nicole Hood as our next Head of School, we had a strong sense that we had ‘come down right,’” writes Margaret Sayers, clerk of the Head of School Search Committee, of Nicole’s selection. “She is a warm, authentic, and deeply spiritual person and exhibits a profound commitment to equity and social justice. She is able to connect with all aspects of our community – students, parents, faculty, staff, and School Committee – through careful listening, clear communication and an open heart. For us, who believe that relationships are at the core of the transformational education offered by our school, Nicole is well-suited to carry AFS forward in our fourth century of Friends education.”

Nicole’s appointment makes her the first Black Head of School in AFS’s history. Additionally, she will be the first woman to serve as Head of School in a non-interim capacity. Nicole will begin her tenure as Head of School on July 1, 2024.