A Letter from Board Chair Nancy Palmer P ’12
Dear Oldfields Community,
After four years of excellent leadership, David Perfield has informed the Board of Trustees that he will resign as Head of Oldfields School on June 30, 2022. While the Board made it clear to David that they wanted him to stay and lead the school for many years to come, we accept his decision to return to his roots and the need to be closer to his extended family. As David shared with me, “Although it’s extremely difficult to leave a place we’ve grown to love and appreciate, we’ve decided that now is the right time to move back to Central New Hampshire. Despite the unfortunate timing, I have to believe people will understand because family will always come first, and this decision is what’s best for our family—and for the family who we will be significantly closer to in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.”
We thank him for all he has done for Oldfields. Since arriving on campus in the summer of 2018, David and his wife, Lisa, have become an integral part of our school family, and for that, we are extremely grateful. The Perfield family, including Anna and Lexi, will always be part of the Oldfields family.
David has led Oldfields with incredible compassion and wisdom, always with the best interest of students at the center of every decision. His commitment to defining the school’s mission to embrace each student’s authentic self, educate through collaboration, empower the individual voice, and inspire confidence and continual growth, leading to a life of purpose, has made the School stronger in every way. We have a challenging and flexible curriculum, talented faculty and staff, a historic campus, and most importantly, engaged students and alumni who make our community proud.
As we move forward, the Board of Trustees is confident that the foundations set by David will attract the best possible candidates. Due to the short notice of his departure, I have agreed to step in as Interim Head of School effective July 1, 2022 to ensure a smooth transition for the coming year. A national search for a Head of School, led by Oldfields’ Board of Trustees, will begin immediately.
For those that do not know me, I have served on the Oldfields Board since July of 2016, and as Board Chair since July 2020. I am deeply committed to an Oldfields education and all that it provides to our students. I am a mother of two girls and the proud parent of a five-year senior, Liz Palmer, who graduated in 2012. Liz found her voice while at Oldfields and continues to thrive today as a result of the education she received. I retired last year from a career in accounting, finance, and administration, most recently 30 years as General Manager at Caves Valley Golf Club. David and I met weekly during the past year, and I feel confident, as do David and the Board of Trustees, that I am prepared to serve in this role until a permanent Head of School is named.
The Board of Trustees and I will continue to communicate with you on the search and all matters pertinent to the search in the coming weeks and months. During the next several weeks, David and I will be working together to lead the School and ensure a successful transition of leadership and a positive end of the year for the students, especially our seniors, the faculty, staff, and the entire Oldfields community.
Please join me in thanking David and Lisa for their years of dedicated service to Oldfields School. Embracing them, we look forward to continuing their legacy of developing confident leaders who have limitless potential to succeed in today’s world for many years to come. We look to the future with great optimism!
Sincerely,
Nancy S. Palmer P ’12
Chair of the Board of Trustees