January 20, 2023

Dear Shipley Community,

I am delighted to announce that Rebekah Adens will be Shipley’s next Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, effective July 1, 2023.

Rebekah brings over a decade of experience as an administrator across a variety of educational spaces. She currently serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Merion Mercy Academy in Merion Station. Rebekah worked as family therapist and school social worker before shifting into DEI work as the Vice Principal at Achievement First in Brooklyn, NY, followed by DEI leadership at a larger charter network here in Philadelphia. While there, she also served as a lead DEI consultant to school districts across the country, leading program implementation and leadership development. Of particular note is Rebekah’s experience and training in understanding and fostering the social-emotional lives of students and families, a central tenet of Shipley’s definition of Educational Excellence.

Rebekah earned a master’s degree in social work from The Silberman School of Social work at Hunter College, a master’s degree in Divinity from Columbia University, and a B.A. in English from Ursinus College.

Rebekah is looking forward to joining the Shipley community and shared: “I am delighted to be afforded the opportunity to join an intentional and thoughtful community like Shipley. I am deeply grateful for the kindness and welcome I received while interviewing. I want to extend my thanks to the entire Shipley community for the invitation to join them in their mission and commitment to educational excellence.”

I am deeply grateful to our Search Advisory Committee, co-chaired by Donielle Couture and Saburah Posner, for leading a comprehensive national search. The large, deep, diverse, and talented pool of candidates is a credit to our search partners at Carney Sandoe Associates, and The Shipley School itself for crafting such a bold and forward looking DEI Strategic Plan—cited by nearly every candidate as a strength and a leading reason for their interest.

I would also like to extend my gratitude to so many of you who participated in the search process. During her visit to Shipley, Rebekah met with students, teaching colleagues, administrators, parents, and alumni. Across the community, feedback reflected Rebekah’s experience and obvious passion for and commitment to this work. Please join me in welcoming Rebekah Adens to the Shipley community.

Michael G. Turner
Head of School