Jeff Domina, Instructor in English, will succeed Patrick Farrell, Instructor in Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, as the Dean of Faculty. Domina’s promotion to Dean of Faculty will become effective on July 1.
The Head of School chooses a new Dean of Faculty every six years. Faculty members who are interested are encouraged to self-nominate and then write a letter to faculty expressing why they feel they are a good candidate for the job.
“We look for people who have good leadership qualities; that includes people who are good listeners, people who are collegial… able to work across the academy, listen to other people, work with other people, work together with people to find solutions… [Because this job] has a lot of personnel aspects to it, we were looking for somebody who has very strong emotional intelligence, discretion, and experience here at the school across different jobs,” said Nancy Jeton, Special Assistant to the Head of School.
Domina has worked in the English Department at Andover for 20 years and served as Chair of the English Department for six. As incoming Dean of Faculty, Domina is excited to have more opportunities to work alongside faculty and staff members.
“For me, [Dean of Faculty] means an opportunity to work with my colleagues and try to support all the things that they’re doing to bring a great number of experiences to the students. I’ll be involved with helping the department chairs search for and hire good teachers. I’ll be involved with mentoring and evaluation of professional development that keeps the teachers we have growing as teachers and learners, and [I have] a chance to support the teachers and the great things they’re doing,” said Domina.
Stephanie Curci, Instructor and Chair of the English Department, looks forward to seeing what changes Domina will make as Dean of Faculty.
“He’s incredibly smart, he’s particularly thoughtful about professional development and what happens in the classroom, and I think he cares deeply about the faculty and being an advocate for the faculty. He cares deeply for the school as a place where we live and work. As the previous chair of the English Department, he had to work with a variety of personalities, and is very good at hiring interesting faculty,” said Curci.
In addition to the Dean of Faculty’s responsibility for overseeing the search and hiring process for new teachers and staff members, Domina hopes to utilize his position to help teachers develop innovative projects and new ideas for their classes.
“I think I’m most looking forward to those moments where I’m in the position to help a teacher with a great idea because that office has the resources to support great teaching, new ideas, innovation, and just being able to help a teacher turn a great idea into a reality for the kids,” said Domina.
Over the course of his tenure as Dean of Faculty, Farrell sought to create a more equitable and inclusive community through hiring faculty.
“I took the position when it was offered to me because I saw it as a way to both diversify the faculty and help our community be more equitable and inclusive… I feel I have shown that administrators can be seen as facilitators of, and partners in problem solving, working in collaboration with both faculty and other administrators,” said Farrell.
Currently, Domina meets weekly with Farrell to learn more about his new position. Domina will begin his tenure as Dean of Faculty by leading faculty orientation and helping new teachers settle into Andover.
Although Domina hopes to work more with faculty, he also looks forward to continue teaching in the English Department.
“I just think the people are amazing. The students are terrific. I love the energy and intellect they bring to school, and I feel so lucky to be able to work with this group of kids and this group of adults who care so much about the kids,” said Domina.
