Jean-Yves Vesseau to start as new Head of School in Fall 2020

We are very proud to announce that Jean-Yves Vesseau has been selected as the next Head of School of The École. Jean-Yves will be taking over from current Head of School Yves Rivaud, who co-founded the school as École Internationale de New York back in 2009, together with Clyde Javois. Yves announced that he would be leaving the school and moving on to the next chapter of his life back in October. Since then, the Search Committee has been working hard to find someone to fill his shoes.

The Search Process

True to the spirit of The École, our search process was inclusive and collaborative. We engaged the help of a firm that specializes in recruitment for schools to assist our dedicated Search Committee. The Search Committee consisted of two parents, two teachers, the current Head of School and the Benefactors. Our entire community—from students to staff to parents—was involved in the search process, meeting with finalist candidates and giving feedback via surveys. A huge thank you goes out to all who took the time to participate in the search, as your input was vital to the search process. Based on the results of this process, the Search Committee recommended that Jean-Yves be offered the position of Head of School. Philippe and Laurence, the Benefactors of The École, thus decided to extend an offer to him, which he accepted with excitement.

On Receiving the Offer

Upon receiving the offer, Jean-Yves’ first reflex was to share the news with his wife, Andria, but he also wanted to express his gratitude. “I thought a lot about the people who have helped me during this journey,” he said. “I could not have got this position at The École without them,” mentioning the members of the Search Committee, who had been so welcoming.

What Jean-Yves is Looking Forward to Most

We asked Jean-Yves what he is looking forward to the most about working at The École. He mentioned that there is a lot to look forward to because “The École is already a very strong place… and it has the potential to become a very, very special school of choice.” Jean-Yves believes that education is about building relationships, saying “what I most look forward to: getting to know the students, the staff and the families.” He continued, “Understanding their needs, their concerns and what makes them happy, in order to shape the future of The École together.”

A Bit about Jean-Yves Vesseau

Jean-Yves, who was named Knight of the French Order of Academic Palms in 2017, brings a wealth of experience in administration and teaching all over the world, from Europe to the US to Asia. Throughout the interview process, Jean-Yves truly appreciated The École’s strengths and its tight-knit community. He saw a fitting home where he could build on our strong foundation. Jean-Yves is also looking forward to growing the presence and the reputation of the school in New York.