Head of School Update

After what will be 38 years of service to Brooks School — including 20 years as Head of School — John Packard announced he will conclude his tenure on June 30, 2028.

Below is his letter to the Brooks community. Along with a note from Board of Trustees President John Barker '87, it is posted on the school's Head of School Search page, where we will share updates as we navigate the transition to a fifth head of school. 

June 9, 2026

Dear Members of the Brooks Community,

It is with immense gratitude for and appreciation of the privilege of serving as Brooks School’s fourth Head of School that I write to share my plans to complete my tenure at this great school on June 30, 2028.

I have spent my entire professional life at Brooks, which will number 38 school years by the time I leave. During these years, I have occasionally wondered what it might be like to work somewhere other than Brooks, but the pull of this life and this special place has called me back year after year. I love this school and I suspect I will always feel that pull. Yet, I remain curious about what other professional opportunities might be within my reach and make this decision with a blend of excitement and intrigue about the next chapter in my life.

I have been in steady conversation with the Board of Trustees about my plans and have been grateful for their enduring support. I am excited about continuing to partner with all of them in our efforts to keep moving the school forward. My plans are centered on doing everything I can to help deliver for our students in the moment, celebrate our centennial year in a way that is befitting the occasion, and inspire current and future supporters of the school to help take our academic campus plan from vision to reality.

While I will look forward to having opportunities to thank all of you during these next two years, I would like to share some initial thanks now.

My gratitude begins with my family – Kim ’87, Kate ’18 and Elizabeth ’21. I do not have the words to adequately convey how much Kim’s counsel and countless contributions to the school’s life have meant through these years. She has lived this life with me for more than three decades and her unassuming engagement and incalculable wisdom through all the joys and challenges we have experienced together have improved the school in ways both seen and unseen. I am not sure where I would be without her. As for my daughters, Kate and Elizabeth, they are my pride and joy and are Brooksians through and through. It warms my heart to know that this school will matter to them for the rest of their lives.

I have worked with three extraordinary Presidents of our Board of Trustees. Nick Booth ’67, Steve Gorham ’85, and now John Barker ’87. Along with so many deeply committed trustees who somehow make time for Brooks in the midst of their own busy lives, these three poured themselves into supporting the school and me in every way imaginable. I am deeply grateful for their leadership and service to the school. You will not find three finer people.

I will be forever indebted to my many colleagues and mentors who were so generous with their time, care and expertise as I found my way into this life. The gift of another person’s belief in you is something I have experienced many times over and I am so grateful to have been the beneficiary of that confidence. I have always been proud to learn from and with such a devoted faculty and staff who do so much to keep the school moving forward in exciting and dynamic ways.

Finally, I have been fortunate to share the school with thousands of students at this critically important phase in their lives. This is the privilege of all privileges in this life – having the opportunity to work holistically with young people while playing a small part in helping them find their way. There are so many moments in time with Brooks School students that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I am deeply grateful to them and their families for the many ways in which they have enriched my professional life since I first set foot on campus in the fall of 1990.

Looking ahead, I am both excited and confident about the school’s future and am determined to do all I can to ensure my successor is well-positioned to begin two years from now with unbridled optimism about what the school might still become as its second century takes hold.

At any time when I find myself reflecting on my years at our school and on this campus, I become acutely aware of owing so much of what is good and wonderful in my life to Brooks School. My hope during the time I have left as Head of School is that I might move closer to giving as much to the school as I have received from it over these many years – a tall order.

Have a wonderful summer and I hope to see all of you as our 100th year gets underway!

Sincerely,

John R. Packard
Head of School