Pegasus Board of Trustees appoints interim head

The Pegasus School Board of Trustees has appointed Jacqueline Smethurst as interim head for the 2009-10 school year, following a nationwide search.

The preschool-through-grade-eight independent school was established 25 years ago by Laura Hathaway, who died in March after a long battle with cancer.

The search committee sought a leader with strong academic credentials, administrative experience, and commitment to the core values of Pegasus.

Smethurst holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Oxford University and a doctorate in education from Washington University. She began her career in education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she served as a teacher and administrator.

She went on to serve as the head of school at Northfield Mount Hermon School for 10 years.

In 1998, she began a successful consulting career helping more than 20 schools all over the country on matters of governance, curriculum and strategic planning.

She served as the interim head of Sage Hill School in Newport Coast in 2006 following the retirement of their founding head.

Together with her husband, David Drinkwater, Smethurst has founded Wingspan Partnerships, a nonprofit dedicated to narrowing the education gap through partnerships between public and private schools.

“Her personal educational philosophy and values are a great match with our school. She brings a wealth of knowledge, sophistication and experience that will help our school community stay true to Dr. Hathaway’s mission of ‘building wings so bright minds can soar,’ ” said Leslie Seidner, Pegasus parent and chairwoman of the search committee.

— Candice Baker