Following a nationwide search, Dave Baad sent the following email to all current families and faculty and staff. 

Dear ESD Community,

I am pleased to announce that Rebecca Brady has accepted our offer to be ESD’s next Chief Academic Officer (CAO). She and her family will join us effective July 1, 2022.

Rebecca is currently the Academic Dean at The John Cooper School in The Woodlands, Texas, a co-ed independent PK-12 school with approximately 1,300 students. In that role, she oversees the quality of instruction and professional growth of teachers, curriculum development, and academic policy. She also serves as the site director for Global Online Academy, directs the school’s independent study program, and sponsors the student newspaper. Before John Cooper, Rebecca served in a similar role at her alma mater St. Agnes Academy, an all-girls Catholic high school in Houston. She started her career as an English teacher and coached soccer, cross country, and track at the high school level.

Rebecca is a magna cum laude graduate of Loyola University in Baltimore, where she earned a B.A. in English Literature. In addition to earning several academic accolades, she also competed for four years as an NCAA Division I soccer player. She then went to Towson University to achieve an M.A. in Teaching and to the University of St. Thomas, where she received her certification as a secondary school principal. Rebecca impressed our hiring committee with her deep knowledge of pedagogy and curriculum, the confidence and clarity with which she was able to articulate her educational philosophy, and, most importantly, her warmth and clear care for both students and faculty. Those who work with her at John Cooper echoed and resoundingly confirmed those impressions.

From our nationwide pool of exemplary candidates, the hiring committee and I unanimously agreed that Rebecca possesses the talents and qualities essential to fill the large shoes left by Eric Boberg. She is stepping into the CAO position at a pivotal time. As the Board and Executive Leadership Team (ELT) finalize the strategic plan, it is clear that curriculum development and teaching quality will be among its most important elements. The new CAO will be counted on to provide leadership, working with the Board, ELT, and faculty. Rebecca’s skills, knowledge, and disposition will be invaluable as we finish developing and implementing our initiatives.

Please join me in extending a warm welcome to Rebecca and her family as they make their transition to Dallas. We are excited to have them join our community.

Onward and upward,
David L. Baad
Hobson Family Head of School