Westminster School Names Dr. Timothy Quinn ’96, P’29 as 10th Head of School

Westminster School’s Board of Trustees has unanimously appointed Dr. Timothy Quinn ’96, P’29 as Westminster’s 10th Head of School, effective July 1, 2027.

Quinn, currently chief academic officer and dean of faculty at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut, will return to a school that has played a defining role in his life for more than three decades. A former Westminster student, faculty member, and current parent, Quinn will become the first alumnus in the school’s history to serve as Head of School.

“Tim returns to Westminster with an exceptional breadth and depth of experience as a talented educator who has lived the daily work of teaching, coaching and residential life and as an accomplished senior administrator who understands the enormous complexity of leading a boarding school,” said Renée Lynch Carrel ’84, P’19, ’21, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “He has a proven track record of envisioning and implementing thoughtful change that leverages a school's distinctive identity, enhances its students’ experience and strengthens its brand and competitive position in the market. Tim brings the expertise, strategic vision and deep understanding of Westminster required to thoughtfully and ambitiously advance the school and meet the demands of the future.”

Quinn’s appointment concludes a comprehensive six-month national search led by the Head of School Search Committee with assistance from RG175. The process included extensive conversations on campus, significant engagement with the broader Westminster community, and consideration of a deep and impressive pool of educational leaders from across the country.

“Our committee saw in Tim a compelling combination of deep, personal love for Westminster and exceptional academic leadership,” said Christopher J. Campbell ’91, P’24, Chair of the Head of School Search Committee. “It is clear that Westminster changed Tim’s life, and despite building his distinguished career at several leading independent schools, his heart remained on Williams Hill. With more than three decades of Westminster history and his eyes firmly on the horizon, Tim is ready to lead Westminster into its next successful chapter. It is with great pleasure and tremendous excitement that we welcome Tim and his family home.”

At Miss Porter’s, Quinn is a member of the executive leadership team and oversees the academic program, college counseling, and faculty while helping shape institutional strategy across the school. He has led a significant evolution of the school’s academic program, including work in interdisciplinary learning, competency-based education, global studies, technology, entrepreneurship, and AI literacy. Throughout his leadership responsibilities, he has remained closely connected to students as a teacher of English and philosophy, advisor, coach, and active member of the residential community.

Before joining Miss Porter’s, Quinn held leadership and teaching positions at several independent schools. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Amherst College, where he played varsity ice hockey and served as team captain; a master’s degree in education from Harvard University; and a doctorate in educational and organizational leadership from the University of Pennsylvania.

Quinn’s connection to Westminster began when he arrived on Williams Hill as a Third Former in the Class of 1996. A four-year member of the hockey and lacrosse programs, he played varsity hockey for Tom Earl P’93, ’98, ’03, ’06, GP’24, ’25 and varsity lacrosse for Dennis Daly P’01, ’04, helping Westminster capture a Western New England lacrosse championship during his Sixth Form year. He also served on Student Council, was a corridor prefect in Andrews House, and was editor-in-chief of the yearbook.

A decade after graduating, Quinn returned to Westminster as a member of the faculty, serving from 2006–2012 with responsibilities spanning the classroom, athletics, and residential life. He taught English and Moral Philosophy and worked alongside his mentor, Todd Eckerson P’09, ’11, ’17, ’21, during the early years of the Crossroads Cooperative Learning Program (CCLP), a precursor to the Westminster Crossroads Learning Program and part of the foundation for what would later become Horizons at Westminster.

As an assistant coach for boys’ varsity hockey, Quinn helped lead Westminster to the 2010 Flood-Marr Championship and the 2011 Earl-Martin New England Large School Championship. He also coached lacrosse and served in residential life, including as a dormitory head in Andrews House—the same hall where he had lived as a student. During this period, Quinn served as the first director of the Westminster Teaching Initiative, which continues today as a forum for faculty conversations about teaching and learning.

“I could not be more excited to return to Westminster as its next Head of School,” Quinn said. “Westminster changed my life as a student, and as a faculty member, it helped launch my career in school leadership. I owe a profound debt of gratitude to Westminster for all that it has given me and my family, and I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to give back to a place that has meant so much to us.”

For Quinn, returning to Westminster is both a homecoming and an opportunity to help prepare the school and its students for a rapidly changing future.

“The world our students will inherit is changing rapidly, and many of the skills they will need for successful and fulfilling lives remain uncertain,” Quinn said. “What is certain, however, is that the habits of grit and grace, along with the values of community, character, balance, and involvement, will endure. Preparing students for a rapidly changing future requires grounding them in timeless values.”

He added, “I expect Westminster students to be among the next generation of leaders who confront the pressing challenges of our world, and we must prepare them, in the words of our mission, to reach beyond the ordinary and commit themselves to lives of service beyond self. It will be the honor of my lifetime to lead the school in pursuing these lofty goals.”

Quinn will succeed Elaine White, who will retire at the conclusion of the 2026–27 academic year after 41 years in boarding schools. Westminster approaches the transition from a position of considerable strength and momentum, guided by its mission, values, and Strategic Plan and supported by an exceptional faculty and staff, a deeply relational community, and a rigorous and evolving academic program.

Quinn and his family are already closely connected to Westminster. He and his wife, Sarah, director of admission at Miss Porter’s and a former Westminster faculty member, live on the Porter’s campus with their children, Connor ’29 and Annie, MPS ’30.

“This is a homecoming for me and my family,” Quinn said. “I take on the responsibility of leading Westminster into the future with a deep sense of humility and gratitude toward all those who have served the school before me. Grit and grace have been guiding principles throughout my life, and they will continue to guide me as I lead the school forward. I cannot wait to get started.”

Westminster looks forward to welcoming the Quinn family back to Williams Hill and to providing opportunities for members of the community to get to know Tim more fully in the months ahead.