Incoming Head of School

December 23, 2020 | 9 Tevet 5781

Dear Members of the Barrack Community,

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Co-chairs of the Head of School Search Committee (Committee), we are thrilled to announce that Rabbi Marshall Lesack '97 has been named the new Head of School (HOS) at the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy effective July 1, 2021. Rabbi Lesack exemplifies all the characteristics we are looking for in a head of school. We are confident in his ability to carry forward Barrack’s strong traditions and culture while innovating and moving us into the future. We believe he will unify our community and all components of our school while also holding fast to the Jewish values we all share. 

The Search Process in Review:

April – June 2020

• Committee Co-chairs named: Michele Levin and Lisa Sandler.
• The Committee was assembled with careful consideration to select people of diverse viewpoints, geographic areas, and levels of observance, as well as alumni and current and past parents. The members of the Committee are listed below.
• DRG Talent Advisory Group, a professional search firm, was engaged.
• DRG conducted discovery surveys and interviews with Barrack stakeholders including faculty, staff, administrators, parents, students, and community members to inform the creation of a job description for the HOS position.
• Based on this discovery, DRG drafted the job description for the HOS position and worked with the Committee to ensure that the statement reflected all that Barrack is and all that the Barrack community wants to be.
• The marketing of the HOS position at Barrack was posted on June 29, 2020 to the DRG website, the Barrack website, national and local websites, and job boards.

July – November 2020

• DRG collected over 300 resumes, appropriately recruited, and vetted all candidates suggested to them. 
• DRG presented the Committee with 10 potentially viable candidate dossiers, which included a statement of the candidate’s educational vision, resume, and a writing sample.
• The Committee chose to conduct first-round interviews with nine of the candidates. To the extent possible, and to ensure a fair process, each person interviewed was asked the same questions. 
• The Committee selected four of the candidates to move on to the second-round interviews. This round consisted of a 20-minute presentation by the candidate, followed by interview questions posed by the Committee reflective of the important issues facing our school, including: collaboration with teachers and administrators; pluralism; Israel; development of Jewish identity; maintaining, strengthening, and innovating Jewish and secular academics; DEI; fundraising; management style; and the candidate’s strategic vision for our school.   
• DRG continued vetting prospective candidates and presented the Committee with an additional candidate dossier. This candidate progressed through the same process, becoming the fifth candidate to be interviewed during the second round. 
• The Committee unanimously elected to present Rabbi Marshall Lesack to the Barrack community. Throughout each step of the process, Rabbi Lesack was the one candidate who consistently demonstrated the talent and skills best suited to meet our school’s priorities. 
• The Committee hosted a virtual visit with Rabbi Lesack on November 22nd and November 23rd. 

Visit Overview:

• Rabbi Lesack met with School administrators, faculty, staff, parents, students, Board members, and community members.
• Each person who participated in a virtual meeting was invited to complete a confidential Candidate Impression Survey. This community feedback was essential to the Committee’s evaluation of Rabbi Lesack’s fit as the next HOS for Barrack. 
• Committee members observed the meetings to help inform the process.
• The Committee interviewed Rabbi Lesack, asking questions tailored to what was observed during his virtual visit. 
• DRG administered a battery of assessments to evaluate Rabbi Lesack’s alignment with the Competency Model developed for our school. His results were shared privately with the Committee. 
• Members of the Committee conducted reference checks. The references characterized Rabbi Lesack as a leader, visionary, excellent listener, careful decision-maker, skilled orator, gifted writer, and someone who leads by example. Rabbi Lesack was also described as kind, compassionate, even-keeled, patient, composed, focused, values-driven, methodical, and process-driven.
• The Committee met to review all the information gathered, including the Candidate Impression Survey results and reference checks. After meticulous consideration of various components of Rabbi Lesack’s candidacy, and, specifically, the overwhelmingly positive feedback he received through Candidate Impression Surveys, the Committee voted unanimously to recommend him to the Board of Directors. The Board unanimously voted in favor of the recommendation.  

The Committee worked tirelessly on behalf of the entire Barrack community throughout the process. We express our deep appreciation for their dedication and hard work.

Please join us in welcoming Rabbi Lesack and his family to the Barrack community. You will have an opportunity to get to know Rabbi Lesack and hear from him over the coming months in different formats. You will then have the chance to engage in more discussions with him once he officially joins the community on July 1, 2021. In the interim, if you have any additional questions or suggestions for how to support Rabbi Lesack, please reach out to Lisa Sandler (lbsandler@gmail.com) or Michele Levin (mslmom3@gmail.com) so that we can share your ideas with Rabbi Lesack.

B’Shalom,

November 10, 2020 | 23 Heshvan 5781

A Message to the Barrack Administration, Faculty, Staff, Board and Parents

Head-of-School Search Update:

We are pleased to report that our search process has continued to move forward in a timely manner and the committee has made significant progress. Although COVID-19 has affected all aspects of our lives, the Search Committee has worked diligently, adapting our process to accommodate the situation. 

Just to review, the following is an outline of our process to date as described in our letter of October 19, 2020:

• June 29 - Marketing of the Head of School position at JBHA commenced.
• July through mid-August - DRG Talent Advisory Group (DRG) reviewed and interviewed potential candidates.
• Mid-August - Search Committee was presented with 10 potentially viable candidate files for review; 9 candidates were selected to be interviewed.
• Late August through early September - Search Committee interviewed 9 candidates.
• Late September - Search Committee met to discuss the 9 candidates and decided to move forward in the process with 4 of the candidates.
• Mid-October - Search Committee met to discuss the four candidates and decided to move 1 of the candidates forward in the process.

The Search Committee is excited to present Rabbi Marshall Lesack '97 to the JBHA community so that the administration, faculty, staff, board members, parents and students have an opportunity to meet him and offer feedback to the committee. Please see below for Rabbi Lesack's bio.

In light of the COVID pandemic, and in keeping with Barrack’s ongoing efforts to prioritize the health and safety of our community, this visit will be fully virtual.  Rabbi Lesack will be joining our community with a full schedule of online meetings, Sunday, November 22 and Monday, November 23.

Stay tuned for additional emails later this week, with information about scheduling, sign-up, and instructions as to where to send any questions you may have for Rabbi Lesack.   

Following his visit, a survey will be distributed, via email, to provide the opportunity for you to share feedback.  In preparation for this next step we suggest you review the Opportunity Statement (available on the JBHA website) that was used to market the position. This feedback is an important part of the committee’s process in determining next steps.

BIOGRAPHY

Rabbi Marshall Lesack '97, is the Principal of the Claire and Emanuel G. Rosenblatt High School at Donna Klein Jewish Academy, a K-12 Jewish community day school in Boca Raton, Florida. As an educational and organizational leader, Rabbi Lesack is committed to creating inspiring and positive learning environments for young people of all ages.  He has worked with individuals and organizations across the spectrum of the Jewish community, serving in senior management roles in the school, summer camp and synagogue settings. He was the Assistant Director of Camp Ramah Darom, the Director of Education at Congregation Shearith Israel in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as a Faculty Advisor for the Cornerstone Fellowship with the Foundation for Jewish Camp. In addition to his background in formal and experiential educational leadership, he has been a YOU Lead Fellow with Prizmah (Center for Jewish Day Schools) and completed the Art of Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A graduate of Akiba Hebrew Academy (Class of 1997) he holds degrees from Rutgers University, The William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, and the Jewish Theological Seminary. Rabbi Lesack and his wife are the proud parents of three children.

We thank you for your input, patience and understanding throughout this process.