Dear Members of the St. Mark’s Community,

At a special meeting on Thursday, November 7, 2013, after an exhaustive national search, the Board of Trustees unanimously appointed St. Mark’s Assistant Headmaster, David W. Dini, to serve as its eighteenth Headmaster in the School’s 106-year history. David will be the next Eugene McDermott Headmaster, effective July 1, 2014. It is an immense source of pride to announce that after meeting so many qualified candidates from leading independent schools, the individual ideally suited to build upon the great legacy of this institution is already on campus.

 

Throughout the search process, the Committee was guided by what our community told us was most important. First and foremost, the Headmaster is the keeper of the soul of St. Mark’s. For the past 19 years, David has upheld the School’s mission to educate the whole boy. He strives for excellence while honoring the deep traditions that are uniquely ours. He is a role model for our boys and a consistent champion of our world-class faculty. He thoughtfully engages with both the parent and alumni communities as well as with the constituencies outside of our campus. He values faith and family and always has the best interest of our boys at heart.

 

David has been Arnie Holtberg’s partner in establishing many aspects of the School’s foundation of excellence. His accomplishments at St. Mark’s have been outstanding, but perhaps his greatest quality is his patient, humble, and professional approach. His leadership style is marked by his belief in the importance of empowering others. His easy manner makes those around him comfortable, and his passion and hard work inspire all of us to go that extra mile.

 

Our next Headmaster brings experience, outstanding personal qualities, a passion for educational excellence, and a deep commitment to our School and our community. As an administrator, he is instinctively collegial. He has worked collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students in all areas of campus life. He has coached, taught, advised, and led student trips both in the United States and abroad.

 

A native Texan, David graduated from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory school in Houston before earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SMU. His career in education began at The John Cooper School in Houston. In 1992, he joined Graland Country Day School in Denver, Colorado, where he served as Director of Development. Arnie Holtberg recruited David to St. Mark’s in 1994 to create the comprehensive advancement program that St. Mark’s enjoys today. Under David’s direction and leadership, St. Mark’s has become one of the nation’s models for alumni engagement, has raised over $170 million in new contributions, and has tripled the size of its endowment to over $120 million. In addition, David has been integrally involved in the transformation of the campus, helping lead major building projects in 2000 and 2008.

 

David is committed to developing and supporting our greatest asset — the faculty. Under his direction, the Master Teaching Chair Program has grown dramatically and the endowment for faculty support has more than doubled. His commitment to education has earned him the respect of his peers at the national level as well. For more than 15 years, he has been an active volunteer for CASE, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. A frequent speaker and teacher at conferences around the country, David has been on the faculty of the CASE Summer Institute in Educational Fundraising at Dartmouth College for the past four years and was a teacher at the CASE Summer Institute for Independent Schools at Williams College for nine years — the final four years as faculty chair. David has received numerous awards for distinguished service in the field of education, including the CASE Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence and the Robert Bell Crow Memorial Award, CASE’s highest independent school professional honor. He is extremely involved in the Dallas community and serves on the board of several organizations, constantly looking for ways to learn, grow, and contribute.

 

When David begins his tenure as Headmaster on July 1, 2014, he will take the helm of an exceptionally strong and vibrant institution, one that benefits from Arnie Holtberg’s extraordinary leadership. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we express our deepest appreciation to Arnie and Jan for their dedication and commitment to our School.

 

We thank the entire St. Mark’s community for its thoughtful engagement throughout our search. It will be an honor and a privilege to welcome David as our next Eugene McDermott Headmaster, and we look to the future with optimism and an unyielding respect for the past.

 

With love for the blue and gold,

 

Randall S. Fojtasek ’81

 

Taylor H. Wilson ’81

           

Kenneth A. Hersh ’81

 

Leonard M. Riggs, Jr., M.D.