NEC Presidential Search
Updates | Presidential Search Committee
Position Specification | Previous Updates
At the end of August 2005, NEC President Daniel Steiner announced his intention to retire from the presidency by the end of the 2005/2006 school year. Shortly thereafter, NEC’s Board of Trustees initiated a search for a new president for the Conservatory. President Steiner continued to serve up until his death on June 11, 2006 (read more). President Emeritus Laurence Lesser has agreed to act as the Conservatory's chief executive officer while the search for NEC's next president continues.
The Presidential Search Committee has established this page in order to post the Position Specification and the full list of committee members with their affiliations. The committee will continue to work to identify NEC's next president, with the assistance of executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. Information on the presidential search will continue to be posted on this page.
Updates
June 26, 2006
Dear Members of the New England Conservatory Community:
We have all been deeply saddened by the death of Daniel Steiner on June 11. Under Daniel’s bold and caring leadership as President, NEC has achieved world-class eminence as a remarkable institution. The Board of Trustees is determined to maintain the momentum of Daniel's legacy and has taken steps to assure the continuity of leadership and administration until a successor takes office as President.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that President Emeritus Laurence Lesser has graciously agreed to act as the chief executive officer of the Conservatory for the coming academic year (or until a new President earlier takes office). Larry is taking on these executive responsibilities in addition to a very full schedule of teaching, and he will be supported in carrying them out by a small Trustee oversight group consisting of Board Chair Jack H. Vernon, Treasurer Norton Q. Sloan, and Life Trustee and Former Board Chair David W. Scudder.
In the meantime, the Presidential Search Committee, chaired by Board Vice Chair Harold I. Pratt, is actively working with Heidrick & Struggles, our executive search firm, in an ongoing effort to identify NEC's next President. Suggestions in this regard have been welcomed since the beginning of the search process and should be e-mailed to Heidrick & Struggles.
I wish you a good summer and I look forward to the fall when we can begin what I know will be another very successful year for NEC.
Sincerely,
Jack H. Vernon
Chair, Board of Trustees
Search Committee
Presidential Search Committee Members
Michael J. Anderson, overseer
Allan Chase ’81, faculty
Deborah B. Elfers ’82, trustee
John Greer, faculty
Eloise W. Hodges, trustee
Paul Katz, faculty
Bruce McPherson, faculty
Ellen Pfeifer, staff
Vincent Planès, student
Harold I. Pratt, trustee
Laurence S. Reineman, trustee
Johanna Hill Simpson ’81, trustee
Norton Q. Sloan, trustee
Jack H. Vernon, trustee, search committee chair
Joan Yogg, trustee
Patricia Zander, faculty
Coordinator: Elaine Lawrence, Director of Board Relations
Position Specification
NEC President Position Specification (PDF)
Previous Updates
Letter from Harold I. Pratt, May 15, 2006