As soon as I arrived at LILA, I could sense in students, staff, parents and Board members the passion, love, community spirit and pride in what is, by all intents and purposes, a truly exceptional institution.
My two days at LILA inspired me. When I met a student at Los Feliz holding a Rubik’s cube, I asked him if he could scramble it; he seamlessly and joyfully matched all sides with a flick of the wrist. At Burbank, the students crafted their questions and considered my responses with aplomb and criticality, but also with respect and humanity. At West Valley, as the early Californian sun started to warm the morning crispness, children were smiling and laughing together as their teachers led them to class, hand in hand. In Pasadena, students waved back at me with a smile from their classrooms where I could see (you can pick these things up quickly), the learning was being crafted carefully and intentionally by the teachers.
A great school is a place where the education provided allows for social, intellectual, physical, and emotional qualities to flourish in every student. It was that sense of holistic learning at LILA that appealed to me and continues to appeal to me. Such a feeling of human flourishing can only come from a profound partnership between teachers and parents as they work together for this noble cause.
LILA is a place where students journey through the rigorous French system before choosing to take on the French or International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. All the way through, their bilingualism is nurtured, their academic prowess sharpened, and their views and intercultural competencies broadened. The conversations I had with staff brought home the talent and care that goes into this project, while I sensed from my interactions with parents a real investment in the School and a desire to reinforce partnerships around learning to even higher levels.
Anneli Harvey has clearly done some sterling work in building community, and I very much look forward to working with her and the Board, leadership team, staff, parents, and students to take LILA through the next chapter. I would like to thank you for the warm welcome you gave me during my visit and, most especially, to the Board for the robust recruitment process they designed, the hospitality they showed me, and for their confidence in appointing me.
My family and I are very excited about joining the School. It’s a privilege to have been given this wonderful opportunity to serve you and, at your side, to continue to build LILA together as we prepare students to thrive in an increasingly complex world full of challenges but, more especially, full of opportunities.
Our search will be guided by principles of confidentiality, equity, and thorough diligence. All candidates, whether internal or external, will be considered through a rigorous and unbiased process, ensuring that we identify the individual best suited to lead LILA in the fall of 2026 and beyond. Our selection process will be carried out to ensure equal opportunity for all candidates to demonstrate their qualifications and ability to lead our school into the future. All candidates will remain confidential until they reach the finalist stage. This safeguards the integrity of the process and respects the privacy of all applicants.
We deeply value the input of our community, and we believe that your voices are essential in identifying the qualities that our next Head of School should embody. During various stages, there will be opportunities for you to participate with your priorities and thoughts. Thank you to everyone who already participated in the community survey which was initiated in September. We were thrilled to see such high participation to help guide these efforts.
To ensure that we uphold the highest standards throughout the search, a Search Committee has been established. This committee will work closely and meet weekly with Cathy Shelburne, Deb Welch and Art Charles from CSA, who will provide guidance and expertise at every stage.
The members of the Search Committee include:
Reena Patel, MBA PhD, Search Committee Chair & Parent of 4th and 6th graders
Jean-Luc De Fanti, MBA, Board Chair and former parent of LILA student
Chantal Morgan D’Apuzzo, PhD, JD, Board Vice-Chair and Parent of a 6th grader
Ani B. Packard, EdM, Board Secretary and Parent of 3rd and 6th graders
Sharyn Kerr, PhD, MBA, Board Trustee and former parent of a LILA student
Santosh Kookal, MBA, Board Trustee and Parent of an 11th grader and recent graduate
Minh Le, SM (MSc), Board Trustee and Parent of 5th grade twins.
Thank you for your continued support as we move forward together.
Past Communications
April 14, 2025: Announcing LILA’s New Head of School
Dear LILA community:
After a thorough and rigorous global search, the LILA Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Dr. Conrad Hughes has been named the next International School of Los Angeles- Lycée International de Los Angeles Head of School with a target start date of October 2025.
Conrad brings over twenty-five years of leadership experience in multilingual schools in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and India. He is currently the Director General at the International School of Geneva known as one of the top IB schools in the world. Conrad has taught in French public schools, and has significant familiarity with the US curriculum. He is passionate about creating learning environments where students from all backgrounds can thrive and reach their full potential in French and in English. Conrad is trained as an executive coach and supports faculty to grow in ways that will serve them and their students best. He recognizes the critical importance of school culture, especially across multiple campuses, has experience in fundraising, has a high degree of financial fluency, and is a visionary thinker. Many of you met Conrad when he was here, but if you did not, he looks forward to meeting and engaging with the entire LILA community in the upcoming months.
“Conrad is an inspirational educator and leader in international education. His vast experience of bilingual education and the IB program, combined with a passion for teaching and community engagement, will set the School on a path to grow harmoniously. It’s an exciting time for LILA,” said Jean-Luc De Fanti, Chair of the LILA Board of Trustees.
“I am delighted to be joining the LILA community to serve this outstanding school. I am eager to be at your side as we take this journey together,” Conrad added. (We invite you to scroll down to read an introductory message and hear more from Conrad.)
The Board would like to extend its deep thanks to Anneli Harvey who will continue to serve as LILA’s Interim Head of School until Conrad’s arrival. She will oversee a smooth and thorough leadership transition with our LILA community. We are extremely grateful for Anneli’s warm and unwavering dedication to LILA during this past year, which had many challenges. We look forward to her continued important contributions to the School in the future.
The Board would also like to acknowledge and thank our community for the time and thoughtfulness many of you invested in this process. Your feedback during surveys and school visit meetings played a critical role throughout the entire search process from shaping the position profile to informing our deliberations. We believe that as you all get to know Conrad as we have, you will feel confident that LILA is in great hands. Conrad very quickly during his campus visits absorbed our school’s unique and vibrant culture, and was impressed with our passionate faculty and very unique and impressive student body. He looks forward to bringing the community even closer together, solving operational issues, and launching new initiatives to give our students an even stronger bilingual education and global citizenship experience.
The Board greatly anticipates celebrating Conrad’s arrival with the community this fall as we begin an exciting new era at LILA.
Kind regards,
The LILA Board of Trustees
Feb 21, 2025: Head of School Candidate Campus Visits
Dear LILA community,
As discussed in the State of the School: LILA In-Depth meeting, we wanted to update you on the Head of School search and finalist campus visit. As a recap for those who were unable to attend the meeting, last year we partnered with Carney Sandoe & Associates to conduct a comprehensive search for our next Head of School. The process began last year with a community-wide survey and campus visits by our consultants to gather perspectives, which helped shape the position description and selection criteria.
The Search Committee conducted a thorough evaluation of all candidates based on prior Head of School experience, strategic vision, and alignment with the School’s long-term needs. The search firm presented a competitive pool of 10 vetted candidates, from which the Search Committee selected a group of seven semi-finalists for interviews.
We have now completed the semi-finalist interviews and selected three finalists. The finalists were unanimously selected by the Search Committee after careful deliberation. These candidates will visit our campuses the weeks of March 10 and 17 to meet with various groups including students, faculty, staff, and parents. The community will have an opportunity to provide feedback through a survey after these visits.
As we finalize visit schedules, please look out for follow-up communications with details on how to sign-up for parent and faculty/staff sessions with the candidates.
Thank you for your partnership,
The Head of School Search Committee
Sept 17, 2024: Community Head of School Search Survey
Dear LILA community,
With the 2024-2025 school year in full swing, we’d like to remind our community that we have partnered with Carney Sandoe to assist with our search for our next head of school. As an initial, and vital, first step in the process, we’d like to ask our community to complete a brief online survey. This survey will assist us in gathering valuable feedback from our community and we thank you in advance for taking the time to complete the survey; it should not take more than 10-15 minutes.
The recent campus visit by Cathy Shelburne and Deb Welch has already ensured us of a comprehensive, inclusive, and diverse set of views about the school which we will use in further refining our criteria in the selection process for our next head. We are asking school employees, parents, trustees, and alumni/ae for their candid feedback using this method. All responses are both confidential and anonymous and go directly to our consultants who will consolidate the feedback and use it to ensure we have considered all points of view from our key constituents. The results will be very useful and will remain confidential.
In addition to this survey, community members will have an opportunity to meet and provide feedback regarding the finalists who visit the LILA campuses later in the process.
As mentioned previously, the survey should take 10-15 minutes to complete and will remain open until the end of the day, Tuesday, September 24. At the end, you will also have an opportunity to nominate any internal or external educators you may know who might be a good candidate for this opportunity. The Search Committee is deeply grateful for your participation in this process and we will keep you apprised over the coming months related to important process milestones via email communication and website updates. Please use this link to complete the survey.
Best wishes and thank you,
Reena Patel
LILA Trustee & Parent
Chair, Head of School Search Committee
June 7, 2024: Announcement of Search Firm Selection & Interim Head Update
Dear LILA Community,
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to express my gratitude to all of you. We have had many challenges this year, but our community has persevered and grown stronger. Before we congratulate and bid adieu to the class of 2024, I wanted to send a brief update on recent and important developments.
On Thursday, May 30, the LILA Board of Trustees retained the search firm Carney Sandoe & Associates (“CSA”) to conduct the search for a permanent Head of School. Since 1977, CSA has been one of the leading global firms in the recruitment of Heads of Schools and other senior administrative staff and faculty. Their global reach and understanding of the French American and International school landscapes were determining factors in their selection. Based on consultation with them, our Interim Head of School, and the Board, the timing of the search has been revised with a goal of mid-2026 to onboard a new permanent Head of School at LILA for the 2026-27 academic year. Anneli Harvey will serve as Interim Head of School until that time. Anneli has hit the ground running since her appointment on Monday, May 6, and she has the Board’s full support.
Separately the Board has retained Mission & Data, a renowned consulting firm specializing in independent school operations and governance, to make a comprehensive assessment of operational effectiveness and the relationship between the Board, the Head of School, and the School’s Leadership Team. Combining this study with the findings of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Audit performed by Dr. V. Wise, will give us a solid foundation t position LILA on a trajectory of growth and improvement. A summary of both reports will be shared with the whole LILA community in the upcoming months. Implementation of the recommendations will be rolled out starting in the new academic year.
The Board of Trustees and I would like to thank you for your ongoing support and for your demonstrated dedication to making LILA the very special school that it is. We wish you all a restful and productive summer break.
Best regards,
Jean-Luc De Fanti Board Chair
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the role of the Search Committee?
The Search Committee leads the process of identifying and recommending a candidate to LILA’s Board of Trustees, which holds the ultimate responsibility for selecting the Head of School.
What is the role of the search firm, and how were they selected?
The Board of Trustees carried out extensive research on national search firms, reviewing proposals and conducting interviews. After careful consideration and reference checks, the Board chose Carney Sandoe and Associates, a firm that specializes in recruiting heads and senior leaders for independent schools.
CS&A will advise the Search Committee on the logistics, procedures, and best practices of the search. They will also handle candidate interviews, reference checks, and provide overall support throughout the interview phase. Additionally, the firm will offer transition assistance to the newly appointed Head of School during their first year in the role.
What is the scope of the search?
The search for LILA’s next Head of School is comprehensive, considering candidates from around the world, with an emphasis on recruiting individuals who may not be actively pursuing a new position. Confidentiality will be maintained for all candidates until the finalist stage to protect their current positions.
Will there be any internal candidates?
Both internal and external candidates are encouraged to apply for the Head of School role. The confidentiality of internal candidates will be treated with the same importance as that of external candidates. The Search Committee is committed to ensuring that all candidates are evaluated on an equal footing, with the final selection made after a thorough assessment of all applicants.
How will candidates be evaluated?
Candidates will be assessed based on the skills and qualities identified by the community through surveys and listening sessions. With guidance from the consultants, the Search Committee will carefully review the candidate pool, narrowing it down to semi-finalists for confidential interviews and, ultimately, a group of finalists.
What is the role of the Board of Trustees in the search process?
As the only employee directly hired by the Board, selecting a new Head of School is one of the Board’s key responsibilities. The Board approved the selection of the search firm and appointed the Search Committee to conduct a comprehensive search. The Search Committee will keep the Board informed throughout the process, and, when the time comes, the Board will review the Committee’s recommendations, make a formal decision, and manage the negotiation of employment terms before officially appointing the new Head of School.
When will the new Head of School begin?
The new Head of School is expected to start in July, 2026. It is likely that the selected candidate will need time to relocate or make other necessary arrangements, which is why the Head-Elect will be chosen well in advance. While the Head-Elect may visit LILA during the 2025-2026 school year, it is likely they will still have professional commitments elsewhere leading up to their official start date.
Will there be an opportunity for the LILA community to participate in the process?
We deeply value the input of our community, and we believe that your voices are essential in identifying the qualities that our next Head of School should embody. During various stages, as with the community survey, there will be opportunities for you to participate with your priorities and thoughts.
Will the Search Committee release the key learnings from the community survey?
