Lisa Shambaugh hadn’t officially taken over as Storm King School’s new head of school when she addressed the graduating class during June’s commencement ceremony, but she has nearly a month under her belt and is looking forward to a busy school year.

A Colorado native, Shambaugh had dreams of living in New York, so when it came time to choose a college, she decided to attend Vassar College. While she majored in psychology, Shambaugh took advantage of the course offerings and nearly had additional degrees in Greek history and music, as well as other subjects.”
”I’ve always been interested in people and why they do what they do,” she said. That’s what drove me to study psychology in the first place. I was interested in it, but it wasn’t my primary or only interest.”

However, when it came time to graduate, Shambaugh had no idea what she was going to do and a visit to a job fair led her to a career in education. Originally she thought she was going to join the Peace Corps and do some good around the world, but she met a representative from Barnard College who was hiring for their admissions office. One thing led to another and she secured her first job as a college graduate. The job allowed her to meet people as she traveled to various high schools throughout the country.

She served as Assistant Director of Admissions at Barnard College, and as Manager for International & Special Interest Alumni Clubs, Student Outreach & Community Relations with the California Alumni Association in Berkley, CA. She has served as Director of Admission and Financial Aid at the Crystal Springs Uplands School in Hillsborough, CA, and as the Director of Admissions at Georgetown Day School in Washington, DC.

Shambaugh eventually went back to school and earned her Master’s in Administration and Planning from Harvard Graduate School of Education and in 2015 she took a job as the Assistant Head of School for Enrollment and Strategic Projects at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, MD.

A career administrator, Shambaugh also has experience in the classroom. She taught English as a second language in Japan, and even had the opportunity to teach English at St. Andrew’s, despite a 10-year gap. It was a lot of work, she admitted, but was thankful for the support from an experienced teacher who mentored her.

“I do love teaching, but I’m drawn to administration because of the opportunity to see the full picture,” she said. “I’m more interested in setting the school and faculty up for success. I’ve done enough teaching to know I enjoy it and love it. I’ve seen a lot of great teachers, but what I want to do is support, lift up, and enable those great teachers to do what they do. My strengths are in strategic thinking and putting the pieces in place to ensure student/teacher success. That drives me more than being in the classroom.”

Prior to applying for the job at Storm King School, Shambaugh applied for and was accepted into the National Association of Independent Schools for their national fellowship program. As an aspiring head of school, she learned what that means and what strengths she would bring to the position. At the time she wasn’t sure if that would be the next path in her career, but the program started her along the journey.
Shambaugh knew she didn’t want to work in a larger school setting because she enjoys getting to know her students and staff and building that connection, something that can be tougher to do at a bigger school. That strong connection to Storm King School when she visited for the first time for an interview. She noticed how the faculty members were comfortable with each other and laughing. She could tell they have a love for the school and showed an interest in getting to know more about her.

“It felt right from the very first meeting and I’m glad they felt the same way.”

The new head of school knows her first year won’t be easy. She’ll be busy creating a strategic vision for the school, which she sees as a positive because it will allow her to dig into the history of the school, learn why things are the way they are, and decide what the priorities will be going forward. She’ll have the opportunity to engage with all the stakeholders including trustees, parents, students, alumni, and staff to see what’s on their minds and where they see the school going. Shambaugh will also be seeing the school through the accreditation process -- a self study looking at every aspect of the school.

“I’ll really get to know the school inside and out. That’s exciting and will give me a good direction for my first year to have these two big projects to take on.”

Other goals include meeting as many people as she can, getting to know the area and its surrounding communities, and making connections and opening the lines of communication.

From there, more specific goals will come into focus.