Ashley Hall is pleased to announce the appointment of Shannon Reynolds as Assistant Head for Institutional Advancement beginning April 11, 2022. As a member of Ashley Hall’s leadership team, Shannon will work closely with the School’s Board of Trustees in the area of stewardship and donor relations, and manage alumnae engagement. She will also work with the current advancement team to oversee the Loyalty Fund and major giving initiatives.

Shannon comes to Ashley Hall from the New City School in St. Louis where she served as Director of Advancement. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Historic Preservation from University of Mary Washington and a Master of Historic Preservation from the University of Georgia, Shannon parlayed her education into an extensive career in nonprofit management. Prior to New City School, she worked with numerous nonprofit organizations including Humane Society of Missouri, Washington University School of Medicine, Southern College of Optometry, and the American Cancer Society. Having raised nearly $50 million in gifts from corporate and foundation grants and individual donors, Shannon is an accomplished and collaborative fundraiser with experience in all aspects of work in annual, major, planned, and capital campaign giving.

“During her recent visit to campus, Shannon impressed us all with her wealth of experience, independent school fundraising knowledge, energy, and warm personality,” says Head of School Jill Muti. “We look forward to her joining our Ashley Hall family.”

Ashley Hall is pleased to announce that Diane Fletcher will be joining Ashley Hall in July as Director of the Early Education Center. Fletcher is currently the Assistant Director of Early Learning/Pedagogista at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School in Southern California. She is an experienced educator with a strong background in the Reggio Emilia teaching philosophy, the engine of Ashley Hall’s renowned early education program. With roots in Atlanta, Fletcher earned her bachelor’s degree and M.ED in Early Childhood Education from Georgia State University. 

Fletcher brings with her an impressive background which includes Reggio Emilia training. “Her commitment to community, connecting young learners to the world around them both inside and outside the classroom, aligns beautifully with the Ashley Hall spirit,” says Head of School Jill Muti. “We can’t wait for her to join our community of learners.”

In her own words, Fletcher felt an immediate connection when she visited campus. “With a child-like heart, I look forward to joining Ashley Hall,” says Fletcher. “As I set foot on campus, the joyful educators, children, and families which form this vibrant community, rich in history and empowerment of children, resonated.” Now she has her sights set on the future: “I look forward to nurturing the foundation of our youngest children for the 21st century, learning with breadth and depth, making connections in different spheres of experiences. I can’t wait to see the world through the eyes of the Ashley Hall students.”  

Ashley Hall is pleased to announce that Cintra Horn will join our community this July as Assistant Head for Student Affairs. Cintra currently serves as the Director of the Middle School at Agnes Irwin School in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She has a wealth of experience in independent schools, both in the US and abroad, and brings to her work a passion for girls’ education and the power of a student-centered learning environment. 

Cintra holds a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from the University of Manitoba where she also completed post-baccalaureate work in educational leadership. She also holds a M.Ed. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Toronto OISE. 

In this newly imagined role, Cintra will bring to Ashley Hall her considerable talents in advocating for and representing the voice of students and student life (Early Childhood through twelfth grade) with a focus on student wellness, leadership development, intercultural awareness, emotional intelligence, community responsibility, and growth in Ashley Hall’s Hallmarks.  

“I am honored to join Ashely Hall as the Assistant Head of School for Student Affairs. Ashley Hall is renowned for instilling its PQV spirit and its beautiful set of  Hallmarks in all students from early childhood through twelfth grade. In collaboration with faculty and students, I am excited to build on the school’s successful history through the lens of community and belonging, “ says Cintra.  

Head of School, Jill Muti adds, “During her visit to campus, Cintra charmed us all with her enthusiasm, positive energy, and commitment to the student experience. We look forward to welcoming her to our senior leadership team.”

Ashley Hall is pleased to announce the appointment of Naa-Adei Kotey as Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning beginning July 2022. Naa-Adei is stepping into a role being vacated by Carolyn Newton, who is moving away from Charleston later this year. A member of the School’s leadership team, the Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning oversees the area of academic programming for EEC through twelfth grade as well as the recruitment and inspiration of a highly qualified and committed teaching staff including their professional development. 

Naa-Adei joins Ashley Hall from St. Paul’s School for Girls in Baltimore, Maryland where she currently serves as Academic Dean. A graduate of Smith College, she also holds an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership from the University of Virginia, has served as a writing fellow at Georgetown University and as a poetry fellow at the Harvard NEH Summer Seminar for Teachers, and holds a position on the board of One Schoolhouse, an educational organization with whom Ashley Hall partners for professional development and online courses for Upper School students. 

“I am thrilled and excited to become a member of the Ashley Hall administrative team. As I toured the campus and met the people who form the beating heart of this incredible school, I realized that balanced with the pursuit of academic excellence for students and faculty alike, was a deep commitment to the whole person,” shared Naa-Adei. 

Head of School Jill Muti adds, “In addition to her rich experience teaching English and leading rigorous academic programs from middle school through the university level, Naa-Adei is also committed to the power of a single gender education, and is active within the national independent school community. She impressed every member of our campus community during her visit with her energy, warmth, and intellect.” 

We look forward to welcoming Naa-Adei Kotey to the Ashley Hall family. 

Ashley Hall School Announces Departure of Head of School Jill Muti in June 2022: Longstanding Leader of South Carolina’s Only Independent Girls’ School Leaves a Legacy of Accomplishments

Charleston, SC, December 15 — Ashley Hall announced today that Jill Muti, the Head of School, will leave her position on June 30, 2022. The Ashley Hall Board of Trustees will launch a national search for new leadership to build upon Muti’s nearly two decades of accomplishments that have ensured the 112-year institution’s place as a preeminent school for girls in the region and the nation. It is expected that a new Head of School will assume the role on July 1, 2023. 

“Jill Muti has made an indelible impact on Ashley Hall’s stature and reputation for building self-reliant, independent thinking, and confident young women at every stage of their development. Today we enjoy record-high enrollment, deep community relationships, and an outstanding and loyal faculty and parent community whose devotion to our children is matchless. Jill will be forever part of Ashley Hall and we wish her all the best,” said Anne Frances Bleecker, Chair of the Ashley Hall Board of Trustees.

Muti, who has accepted the position of Head of School at the prestigious St. Stephen’s School, an American day and boarding International Baccalaureate World School located in Rome, Italy, said, “It has been an honor to serve the Ashley Hall community for 18 years. Together with our Board, faculty, alumnae, and students, we have created an authentic learning environment that honors Ashley Hall’s enduring mission and hallmarks. The important work of preparing girls to meet the challenges of the 21st century with confidence has driven all that we have accomplished at Ashley Hall. I embark on the next phase of my career filled with gratitude.”

Among Muti’s signature achievements at Ashley Hall are:

• Engineering the Ashley Hall Learning Spiral, a comprehensive curricular approach to education that features an intentional pattern of incremental learning from pre-primary students to seniors that serves the intellectual, emotional, and physical needs of each student in every phase of development.
• Reimagining the school’s faculty professional development program to create an institution of continuous intellectual pursuit and academic growth, benefiting faculty and students alike.
• Establishing a school-wide focus on whole-child development, with a comprehensive health and wellness program and specialized learning environments for early adolescents: the Intermediate Program for 5th and 6th graders and the Nautilus Program for 7th and 8th graders.
• Implementing a Global Studies Program that focuses on foreign language immersion and acquisition and international travel opportunities.
• Fostering a student leadership program emphasizing responsibility and real-world experiences, including a Junior Internship experience and a Senior Projects initiative linked to community action.
• Leading the renovation and expansion of Ashley Hall’s 10-acre urban campus including the preservation of two historic properties transformed into 21st century learning environments.      
• Creating community partnerships with Charleston area non-profits such as the Medical University of South Carolina, Gibbes Museum, and Horizons, South Carolina’s first tuition-free summer educational and enrichment program to advance educational equity.
• Championing a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging commitment essential to achieving educational and academic excellence.

Dr. Anne Thornhill Weston ‘73, currently Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School, will serve as Interim Head of School. A seasoned administrator and alumna, she will lend her experience and knowledge of the school to guiding the community through a smooth and successful transition. Dr. Weston joined Ashley Hall in July 2015 after a succession of leadership roles at Heathwood Hall Episcopal School in Columbia, SC, including as teacher, Intermediate School and Upper School Principal, Assistant Head, Director of Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Provost and Interim Head of School. With a Bachelor’s Degree from Duke University and a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in Biology and a Doctorate in Health Promotion and Education both from the University of South Carolina, she has worked together with her colleagues on important curricular improvements and the strengthening of vital wellness programs in Ashley Hall’s Upper School, while celebrating with them an expanding record of student scholarship and college placements.

“Today, generations of distinguished Ashley Hall alumnae are making their mark on the world. The next six months will be a time of celebrating the innumerable ways Jill Muti has enriched our community, and looking forward to the next era of this extraordinary school that will fuel the pipeline of leaders for years to come,” Bleecker said.

Ashley Hall is pleased to announce the launch of a global awareness program that teaches its students global citizenship with an emphasis on United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals related to water conservation and preservation. The launch of the School’s “A Year of Water” campaign coincides with the UN’s 76th Session of the General Assembly, established by the UN to encourage action, awareness, and accountability for the goals. 

One of the signature components of this effort is the Take Action Globally program (TAG), a commitment from the School’s leadership to cultivate globally minded citizens who seek to work within and among communities to support healthy, sustainable practices.

On this new initiative, Head of School Jill Muti said “At Ashley Hall, when we look at the context of global citizenship, we see the interconnectedness of, ‘her world, our world, and the world.’ The UN Sustainable Development Goals offers our program a powerful framework in which to realize this important work.”

With heightened attention to global water challenges, and with the school’s campus being located in a flood-prone area, Ashley Hall educators will pay special attention to water-related goals: clean water and sanitation (goal six); and life below water (goal 14). Students will gain an appreciation for how waterways are impacted by over development and climate change. The TAG program will consist of classroom instruction, hands-on activities and opportunities to engage with visiting speakers.

“Ashley Hall’s global education program, Take Action Globally, is designed to support each student’s growing awareness of the wider world, the interconnectedness of diverse societies, and the student’s role as a global citizen in leading and participating in community-based solutions to current community challenges, “ said Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs, Carolyn Newton.

Ashley Hall students will continue the Take Actions Globally program through the 2021-2022 academic year with the hope of using future school years as an opportunity to explore more of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.