Dr. Cyndy Weldon-Lassiter will complete a 12-year tenure as head of St. Andrew’s School at the end of the 2021-22 school year to join a national agency that focuses on teacher placement and leadership searches and consulting.
Weldon-Lassiter is a longtime educator who started at St. Andrew’s School in July 2010, after teaching for 15 years in Chesterfield County Public Schools, at The Collegiate School, and at Montclair Kimberley Academy in Montclair, NJ. The St. Andrew’s School community intends to celebrate her throughout the coming year for her commitment and service.
“When I think about Cyndy, I think of steady leadership with a clear vision,” said Clay Hilbert, chair of the school’s board of directors.
St. Andrew’s School is an independent K-5 elementary school located in Richmond’s Oregon Hill neighborhood that has been in continuous operation for 127 years. The ninety-six students who attend are primarily Richmond residents.
Under Weldon-Lassiter’s leadership, the school underwent significant renovations; shifted to a year-round education model and established a robust nutrition program that serves a hot breakfast, lunch, and two healthy snacks every day.
“Our focus on whole child education is what distinguishes us, and something Cyndy has very deliberately cultivated and developed,” Hilbert said.
Growing the school has been “one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” Weldon-Lassiter said. “The school is multifaceted, with faculty and staff who believe in the mission of the school and where it’s going, a board that has supported that vision and donors who have invested in the school. And all of it has been with students and families at the forefront. I’m so proud of the access to opportunities we’ve created because the changes demonstrate what equity in education looks like.”
After this school year, Weldon-Lassiter will join Southern Teachers Agency as a consultant, where she will partner with independent school leaders and administrators for search and consulting services, represent the organization at events committed to diversity and participate in equity work.
“We are thrilled to have a leader of Cyndy’s caliber join our team so that we may serve our 700 member schools in the South more effectively than ever,” said Dr. Carey Goodman, the president of Southern Teachers.
As Weldon-Lassiter prepares to ensure that St. Andrew’s students have a successful academic year during the ongoing pandemic, she is also excited to welcome the new leader who will serve at the helm. The St. Andrew’s Board has hired a national search firm to help secure a new head of school who can advance the vision Weldon-Lassiter helped shape. That person will take the lead at the beginning of the 2022-23 school year.
“I want to leave the school on solid footing so that the new Head of School will be well- positioned to move St. Andrew’s forward,” Weldon-Lassiter said.
For more information on St. Andrew’s School, visit St-Andrews-School.org.
