29 April 2026

 

Dear Cathedral School for Boys Community,

 

We are honored and delighted to announce that Duncan Lyon has been appointed by the Board of Trustees as Cathedral School for Boys’ eleventh Head of School. Duncan was unanimously and enthusiastically recommended by our Search Committee and unanimously approved by the Board of Trustees. Duncan will assume the role of Head of School in July 2027.

 

Duncan’s appointment follows an international search, conducted by our Head of School Search Committee with the input and engagement of our community and our search consultants from Carney, Sandoe & Associates, Todd Bland and Michael Robinson. From the outset, we sought a leader who could honor Cathedral’s enduring traditions while guiding the school into its next chapter with vision and a commitment to excellence. Duncan is that leader.

 

Duncan currently serves as Head of School at The Allen-Stevenson School, a highly regarded K–8 boys’ school in New York City. Across 15 years of headship and a distinguished career in independent schools, he has demonstrated a rare combination of strategic vision, institutional stewardship, and educational depth. He is known for cultivating strong, collaborative school cultures grounded in trust, empowering faculty, and maintaining a clear focus on students. He also brings a strong record of advancing institutional priorities, including leading successful capital campaigns, strengthening financial health, expanding enrollment, and overseeing complex programmatic and operational initiatives. His approach reflects both disciplined execution and a genuine belief in the importance of joyful, purposeful school life.

 

What makes this appointment especially meaningful is Duncan’s deep personal connection to Cathedral. As a member of the Class of 1983, his nine years here shaped his path. The values of Scholarship, Leadership, and Character that define our Portrait of a Graduate have been central to his life and career, and his time at Cathedral informs a valuable institutional perspective and strong sense of purpose as our next Head of School.

 

Throughout the search process, Duncan demonstrated a clear and thoughtful understanding of Cathedral: what makes this school exceptional, what must be preserved, and where we have opportunities to grow. He brings humility about the responsibility of this role and confidence in the path ahead, particularly in pursuing academic excellence and sustaining a community rooted in connection, character, and care.

 

Duncan will join Cathedral at a moment of considerable strength. Burns Jones has established a solid foundation—academically, programmatically, and financially—and has assembled outstanding faculty, administrative, and leadership teams to carry our mission forward. We are deeply grateful for his stewardship over these past 11 years and for the connection and sense of community that he, Elizabeth, Wyatt ’20, and Crawford ’25 have brought to CSB.

 

Over the coming months, we will have opportunities to welcome Duncan back to campus and will share additional details as plans take shape. In the meantime, you can hear more about his philosophy on educating boys in his own words in a recent podcast, available here.

 

This appointment reflects the thoughtful contributions of many. We are profoundly grateful to the Search Committee for their dedication, and to our broader community—students, families, faculty, staff, and alumni—whose input made this moment possible.

 

Please join us in warmly welcoming Duncan back home to Cathedral School for Boys.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ronald Clark

Chair, Board of Trustees

 

Shipley Salewski

Chair, Head of School Search Committee

 

April 29, 2026

 

Dear Cathedral School for Boys Community,

 

It is a great honor to be named the next Head of Cathedral School for Boys. But for CSB I would not be an educator. Decades ago, the school provided me an opportunity, as a student on full financial aid, that set my educational foundation and ultimately led me to become a teacher and an administrator. Now, I get the privilege of once again contributing to and growing from my alma mater.

 

I am drawn to the school Cathedral is today and to the school it aspires to become. As I discussed with the search committee, I am intrigued by several key questions facing Cathedral, including: How to preserve what is working well and reimagine what can be better? How best to educate students for the needs of our time and support the adults who guide them? How best to sustain and deepen scholastic and co-curricular excellence?

 

It has never been a more important time to educate boys well, and few schools are better positioned than Cathedral for such joyful, vital work. As Head of School, I believe in greeting each boy with a morning handshake and in “leadership by walking around” to know and be known by students and their teachers. I prize highly collaborative cultures with clear communication systems. I believe a distributed leadership model and a cooperative approach enables faculty to focus on classroom life while still influencing educational directions for the school. I also believe in building a modern academic program alongside the timeless values of intercultural competence, service for others, and the Episcopalian commitment to the dignity of every human being.

 

I am energized to follow the strong work of Burns Jones and Kate Juergens and humbled that the Board agrees that my skills and experience match the stated needs of the school. In the coming months, I look forward to the opportunity to be on campus once again and begin the wonderful process of meeting new friends. Until then, please know of my excitement about the road ahead.

 

July 1, 2027, will mark my seventeenth year in headship and commence a full circle moment. The day I enter 1275 Sacramento Street will feel as though I have reached the center of the labyrinth. I will be home.

 

Go Hawks!

 

Duncan Lyon ’83

Cathedral School for Boys is seeking its next Head of School to lead a vibrant K–8 community of scholars, leaders, and young men of character. Located on San Francisco’s Nob Hill, Cathedral School combines rigorous academics with arts, athletics, service-learning, and a renowned choral tradition, preparing boys to thrive intellectually, socially, and personally. The full Position Description outlines the qualities and experience the school seeks in its next visionary leader.

 

Date	Email
Apr. 29, 2026	Duncan Lyon ’83 Named Next CSB Head of School — Click Here
Apr. 3, 2026	Head of School Search Update — Click Here
Mar. 6, 2026	Head of School Search Update — Click Here
Jan. 20, 2026	Progress on Head of School Search — Click Here
Nov. 20, 2025	Kate Juergens Named Interim Head of School for 2026–2027 — Click Here
Nov. 5, 2025	Position Statement Released and Survey Results Shared — Click Here
Oct. 3, 2025	Search Committee and Advisory Council Members Announced; Community Survey Opens — Click Here
Sept. 26, 2025	Todd Bland ’82 and Michael Robinson of Carney Sandoe & Associates to Lead Search — Click Here
Sept. 9, 2025	Burns Jones Announces Final Year at CSB — Click Here

The Search Committee, appointed by the Board of Trustees, has been charged with leading the process of identifying and recommending Cathedral’s next Head of School. Working in partnership with our search consultants and the wider community, the committee will review candidate materials, interview leading candidates, speak with references, and present a finalist recommendation to the Board for approval.

 

Throughout the process, the committee is committed to upholding Cathedral’s mission and values, ensuring that the search is thoughtful, inclusive, and reflective of the strength of our community.

 

Cathedral’s faculty and staff play a vital role in shaping the search for our next Head of School. To ensure their perspectives and professional insights inform key moments of the process, the Search Committee has established a Faculty Administrative Advisory Council. Comprising teachers and school leaders representing a range of divisions, disciplines, and tenure at Cathedral, this group will provide feedback and advice throughout the search.

 

In addition to participating in listening sessions and surveys, the Council will serve as a bridge between the Search Committee and the broader faculty and staff, helping to ensure that the process reflects the voices of those most deeply engaged in Cathedral’s daily life.

 

As an Episcopal school founded in partnership with Grace Cathedral, Cathedral School for Boys deeply values its connection to Grace Cathedral. The Grace Cathedral Advisory Council will provide important guidance and perspective throughout the search process, ensuring that Cathedral’s next Head of School is well prepared to lead within the unique context of our shared partnership.

 

Cathedral’s Head of School search is supported by Carney, Sandoe & Associates (CS&A), an internationally recognized education search and recruitment firm with more than forty-five years of experience guiding independent schools through leadership transitions.

 

Our consultants, Todd Bland and Michael Robinson, both bring deep experience as former Heads of School and a nuanced understanding of independent school leadership. Todd, Cathedral Class of ’82, offers a personal connection to the school and its community, while Michael contributes extensive expertise in Episcopal education and interim leadership. Together, they will partner with the Board of Trustees and the broader Cathedral community to ensure a comprehensive, inclusive, and mission-aligned process.