It is an honor to become The Spence School’s 15th Head of School, building on the extraordinary leadership that has furthered our mission of educating scholarly women for 130 years.

From the first time I walked through Spence’s Red Doors, I have experienced the genuine welcome and excitement for learning that defines this community. Spence is a joyful place where girls ages 5 to 18 are empowered to cultivate a passion for lifelong scholarly pursuits and confidence in their ability to positively impact the world around them. 

As a graduate of an all-girls’ school, I am forever grateful for the impactful ways that my education has shaped the person I am today and inspired my life’s calling as an educator. I recognize and applaud the myriad ways in which Spence teachers affirm young minds by promoting each girls’ acquisition of knowledge, positive sense of self, healthy habits of mind, and keen interest in shaping their future. This is why it is so deeply meaningful to me to lead Spence in preparing a new generation of girls and young women to engage the world with insight, curiosity and courage.  

Spence’s visionary founder, Clara Spence, started our school in 1892 to create opportunities for girls and young women to challenge their intellect, build their character, and engage with their world as active citizens. Today, Spence students continue to live this vision by learning from multiple perspectives to achieve a nuanced understanding of the complex issues our world faces. A spirit of sisterhood undergirds the School’s commitment to being an inclusive, equitable, multi-identity community in which each student is supported to reach her highest potential. I have great admiration for the faculty and staff at Spence who build close relationships with each student, and foster an environment where scholars of all ages take intellectual risks, and ask questions of themselves and their communities that lead them toward personal transformation and a sense of responsibility to others. 

I invite you to explore Spence’s vibrant community of learners, where each student is known, loved and challenged, and where joy in learning together abounds. 

Felicia A. Wilks
Head of School