Purcell Marian Selects Partners In Mission to lead Principal Search
November 5, 2025
Dear Purcell Marian Community,
Recently, Interim Principal Ian Goddard announced to the faculty and staff of Purcell Marian his intent to step away from his role at the end of the 2025-26 school year. Two years ago, Mr. Goddard accepted the request from the board and outgoing principal, Mr. Andy Farfsing, to serve as interim and lead our school during our shift to the President Plus Principal model of governance.
When I arrived, Mr. Goddard graciously agreed to continue to serve as Interim Principal for an additional year to provide stability during this leadership transition. While there will continue to be a place for Mr. Goddard at Purcell Marian, his announcement now ensures we have adequate time to find our next Principal before the 2026-27 school year. We are so grateful for Mr. Goddard's dedication to Purcell Marian and his service to the school.
In our effort to secure the best and brightest candidates from near and far, we have once again secured the services of Partners in Mission Search Solutions (PIM) to serve as our search counsel. Partners in Mission is a nationally recognized full-service consulting firm focused exclusively on delivering excellence in Catholic school leadership, advancement, and enrollment management, and they were a valuable partner in our President Search last year.
Shana Rossi, who also led our President search, will be our lead search consultant, supported by the rest of their search team. PIM will develop a detailed Search Prospectus which highlights our exciting leadership opportunity.
As the search progresses, the PIM team will work with a wide range of individuals through their extensive network of mission-driven Catholic leaders across the nation. Their search efforts will focus on prospective candidates most familiar with our charisms and the competitive market, gradually expanding their outreach initiatives nationwide to recruit only the most personally, professionally, spiritually, and culturally fit leaders. Ultimately, they will develop a vetted list of top candidates for our Search Committee’s consideration. The Search Committee will meet shortly thereafter, narrowing the pool to a list of semifinalists to be interviewed.
This select group will be interviewed only by the Search Committee to preserve candidates’ confidentiality. Confidentiality throughout this process is standard practice when conducting a leadership search.
After semi-finalist interviews, the Search Committee will select two or three finalists (typically two or three). The finalists (and spouses, if applicable) will have the opportunity to return to our school community for individual day-long visits. The Search Committee will meet again shortly after the last finalist’s visit to review all the information gathered throughout the process, including feedback from members of our school community who had the opportunity to engage with all finalists. At the conclusion of this process, the Search Committee will present its recommendations to the President.
We anticipate that we will secure Purcell Marian High School’s next Principal by the end of this school year, with a start date of Summer 2026. Keep in mind that the retained search process is dynamic, fluid, and competitive. Should top candidates emerge ahead of our anticipated schedule, we maintain the ability to adjust these timelines and remain best positioned to secure the most ideal candidate currently available.
In the coming weeks, please watch for additional communications and follow progress on the school’s website Principal Search page detailing the progress of our search efforts. In the interim, if you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We want to emphasize that despite this transition, the core components of our school—academics, co-curriculars, and Catholic, Marianist education —will continue to thrive. Our focus remains steadfast on nurturing student achievement and fostering a vibrant community of learning and engagement.
We remain grateful to all of you for your insights as the search moves forward and are confident that this process will identify the most ideal candidate able to continue and enhance the outstanding traditions of excellence and community we have come to expect from Purcell Marian High School.
Onward,
Theodore James Whapham, Ph.D.
President
Purcell Marian High School
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