Elliott will return to New Hampshire in July as the 17th head of school at Phillips Exeter Academy. Following 12 years at Phillips Academy at Andover, including seven as dean of students, Elliott currently serves as head of student and academic life at Choate Rosemary Hall. A lifelong love of education has fueled her years as a history teacher and school administrator. “It’s a really exciting time to be thinking about teaching and learning broadly,” Elliott says. She hopes to bring Exeter’s core values, including non sibi (“not for oneself”) and Harkness discussion, to new relevance in the current social climate.
In the Harkness method, students hold in-depth discussions with limited facilitation. These conversations resonate beyond the classroom, she says. “Through dialogue you really clarify what you think, you learn to question, rethink, and learn from each other.” She admires and has emulated President Beilock’s commitment to communication across perspectives. Kristyn Van Ostern, Tu’08, president of Exeter’s board of trustees, sees in Elliott “a combination of qualities that are difficult to find in one person,” from her “confidence and humility” to her emphasis on clear communication.
A Dartmouth class ignited Elliott’s passion for teaching. She enrolled in Educational Issues in Contemporary Society, a class taught by the late professor Robert Barnett Binswanger ’52, whom she cites as an inspiration, and later worked as a teaching assistant for the class. Twenty-eight years on, Elliott is still pursuing her education, working toward a doctorate in education from Vanderbilt University. Even daily interactions with her pupils provide learning experiences, she says. “I’ve always felt that I get to learn from my students as much as I get to teach them.”
