A Fond Farewell - Thanking former Head of School Mark Anderson

This story is from our Sanford Magazine Fall/Winter 2025
Written by Justin Mclellan '16

Standing in the driveway of Arunchula, the Head of School residence on the northeast end of the quad, Mark Anderson briefly summed up Sanford School on a phone call with his wife, Nicol: “It’s funky, but in a good way.”

Anderson was visiting Sanford for the first time for a job interview when he received that call, checking in on how things were going. At the time, Anderson was already the Head of Whitfield School in St. Louis, where he had served for 13 years. He had started working at Whitfield at just 25 years old and became Head of School by the age of 30. The safer choice would have been to stay. He was also considering an offer from a larger, better-resourced school in Ohio, closer to family. But something about Sanford tugged at him.

“I saw potential,” he said. “It just felt like a place where we could raise our kids and put down roots. A place where I could help shape something.”

That instinct would prove right. Fourteen years later, Anderson leaves behind a campus and community transformed, not just in its physical footprint, but in the people, programs, and possibilities that now define Sanford.

In many ways, those changes are visible: enrollment has stabilized and grown, reversing trends of attrition and expanding the Lower School back to three sections. The campus has undergone major renovations, including the Geipel Center for Performing Arts, the Nancy C. Sawin Math/Science Building, athletic field upgrades like Samonisky and Humphreys Fields, and the transformation of Stewart Cottage into a state-of-the-art woodshop. At the same time, the school’s endowment has grown significantly, and a comprehensive campaign aimed at supporting each division is now underway. These improvements reflect not just aesthetic or programmatic upgrades, but a deliberate effort to make Sanford more competitive, student-centered, and financially sustainable.

But Anderson’s approach to transformation wasn’t centered on flashy initiatives or personal recognition. It was rooted in the belief that the best leaders are the ones who build the right team and then let them lead. Just as he once looked past Sanford’s constraints and saw its promise, Anderson consistently looked for potential in people, long before it was obvious.

“You can teach someone a job,” he said. “But you can’t teach someone to bring joy to the work, or to love kids. That’s what I look for.”

From faculty and coaches to administrators and maintenance staff, the team he assembled became the engine behind Sanford’s momentum. Many of those hires went on to define the next chapter of Sanford’s story. Jamie Clark, who joined early in Anderson’s tenure, rebuilt the baseball program’s culture and infrastructure, culminating in three DISC championships and a revitalized field that now serves as a literal and symbolic welcome mat to campus. Kevin Needham, brought on to oversee facilities, proved to be a linchpin in Sanford’s physical transformation, managing projects large and small with a hands-on approach that stretched modest budgets into meaningful upgrades.

Among these hires, one name stands out: Jaime Morgan. A Sanford alumna and former nonprofit leader, Morgan was recommended to Anderson by a longtime faculty member and quickly impressed in her first interview. Though she hadn’t worked in admissions before, Anderson saw what he calls the “it factor,” a spark that convinced him she was not just right for the job, but a partner in leadership.

Over the following decade, Morgan’s role evolved to encompass admissions, advancement, extended day programming, and more. Now she steps into her next role as Head of School, becoming the first alumni to hold this title.

“She’s going to be her own person,” he said. “But she’s also going to be very much Sanford. That’s what makes this transition so exciting.”

Rather than dictate, Anderson convened. Rather than impose, he invited. His leadership team became not just a cabinet, but a culture. “If you build the right team with the right people, the job gets easier,” and Sanford has had the right people.” Even as programs and policies evolved, his style stayed rooted in trust and collaboration. “You don’t lead by being at the front of everything, you lead by clearing the path, then getting out of the way.”

That philosophy extended to the classroom. For much of his tenure, Anderson taught a leadership elective in the Upper School that combined public speaking with guest speakers and deep discussion about the nature of leadership itself. Step into his office in Quigley Hall and you’d often find a tall stack of books on his desk: biographies of presidents and coaches, essays on management theory, works of philosophy and psychology.

“It’s an under-discussed part of the job,” he said. “Leadership isn’t just about making decisions, it’s really about gathering people.”

Now, after fourteen years, Anderson steps away from the role with the same quiet intentionality that defined his tenure. The timing felt right, he explained, not because he had run out of ideas, but because the school is ready.

“There comes a time when the school needs a new voice,” he said. The Sanford he leaves behind is stronger than ever. Its physical spaces have been renewed, its programs expanded, and its culture deepened. Most importantly, the people Anderson brought in, mentored, and trusted are poised to carry it forward. Jaime Morgan will now guide Sanford into its next chapter. A former student and longtime colleague, she inherits not just a title, but a culture of collaboration, resilience, and clarity of purpose. Her leadership will reflect her own strengths, but it will also be rooted in the trust and foundation Anderson helped cultivate.

Anderson may be moving on, but the values he championed remain: that leadership is quiet, that progress is collective, and that when you invest in people, good things follow.

“There’s always one more project, one more class,” Anderson said. “But it feels right to step aside now, and even better to know who’s stepping in.”