Greg Schneider
Every month, RG175 spotlights one of the independent school leaders we've placed, taking a deeper dive into their journey, insights, and impact. This month, we feature Greg Schneider. Greg attended Noble and Greenough School and Amherst College before launching his career as a teacher-coach at Independent Schools. His first role post-graduation was as an English teacher on the Big Island of Hawaii at Hawaii Preparatory Academy before returning to Amherst to coach college football for two years. From there, he received his Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and landed at Rye Country Day School, eventually becoming the Assistant Head for External Affairs. In 2007, Greg was hired as the Head of School at Berwick Academy where he served for eleven years before becoming the Head of School at Belmont Hill in 2018. Along the way, he has continued to teach, coach, and work with students in a variety of ways. He has served on the Boards of ISANNE, AISNE, and now serves as Treasurer for the International Boys Schools Coalition (IBSC). He is a member of the Steering Committee for the Independent School League (ISL), the Heads and Principals Association (HPA), and the Heads Collegiate Forum (HCF). Greg has chaired numerous NEASC accreditations during his professional journey. While his career centers on serving roughly 470 boys, at home he is a husband and humble father of three girls along with the family’s female dog, Pepper. Greg is passionate about being in Maine whenever time allows, to pursue hobbies including golfing, skiing, reading, writing, and playing saxophone and guitar.
What is your connection to RG175?
RG175 has been a wonderful partner to so many schools in the Boston area, including Belmont Hill. Most recently, Belmont Hill completed a Director of Admissions search with the astute partnership of Molly King. Her blend of listening, empathy, attention to detail, and work ethic catalyzed an outstanding national search that appropriately ended with the hiring of an internal candidate. While the search result was outstanding, the process also helped drive critical reflection for Belmont Hill's leadership team and our presence in the hiring marketplace. We would certainly look forward to partnering with RG175 again. Beyond this experience, I am aware of so many peers who have either worked with RG175 or been a part of their searches. The consistency of the positive feedback has been remarkable, and I have a high opinion of so many of their team members.
If you had one thing to recommend to other candidates, what would it be?
Seek and receive honest feedback throughout the process. Often candidates think they know exactly why searches conclude the way they do, but it is rare to receive direct and honest feedback that might help one in a future search. This can be equally valuable from both the consultant and the prospective school, but some candidates make it easier to deliver this feedback than others. Searches are time consuming and emotionally taxing, so you want to be sure that you maximize your learning outcome every time. Beyond that, always feel confident in being your authentic self, knowing that if a school does not resonate with the real you -- it is not a place you want to be working anyway.
What do you enjoy most about your job as it pertains to Independent Schools?
I love the relentless variety. I have never looked at the clock once in 18 years to see if it is time to go home yet -- only to realize that I wish I had more time. While obviously demanding, this is ultimately a huge gift in a professional life. Every year requires a Head to be connected to so many areas of running a complex organization: curriculum, hiring, athletics, admissions, fundraising, legal challenges, the arts, etc. No day is the same in my experience and I find that each year that I need to become an expert on something I didn't anticipate. No one ever warned me the role would require so much adaptation, but this reality has challenged and engaged my intellect and passion for education every day.