Phillips Andover Hires Grinnell President As New Head Of School

ANDOVER, MA — Phillips Academy has hired Dr. Raynard Kington as its new head of school, the school announced Thursday. Kington will begin in summer 2020, taking over from interim head of school Jim Ventre. Kington will succeed John G. Palfrey, who stepped down the job over summer 2019.

Kington is currently the president of Grinnell College, in central Iowa. In the announcement, Phillips spokeswoman Tracy Sweet described him as "a champion of academic excellence in the arts, humanities, and sciences, linking students’ intellectual pursuits with their abilities as graduates to effect transformational change in their communities and across the world."

Previously, Kington worked at the National Institutes of Health, including as an acting director, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and at RAND. His background is in medicine, with an M.D. from the University of Michigan, as well as an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

"He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, where he serves on the Governing Council. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education," Sweet wrote. "His research has focused on social determinants of health and on diversity in the scientific workforce."

Amy Falls, the chair of the head of school search committee, said she was thrilled that Raynard accepted their offer.

“He brings impeccable academic credentials and extensive management experience; he is an intellectual force and a strategic thought partner whose core principles align with Andover’s mission and institutional values," Falls said.

“I am incredibly honored to be selected as head of such a historic institution. Non sibi is an ideal that aligns with the values that I learned growing up, and it resonates with me at a deep level, both personally and professionally,” Kington said. “Much like Grinnell College, Andover has a robust legacy of both academic excellence and diversity. I am looking forward to joining the Andover community and continuing the work of providing an exceptional education for extraordinary young people who will become meaningful contributors to the common good.”

Non sibi is one of the school's mottos; it means "not for self" in Latin.

"Kington currently resides on the Grinnell campus with his husband, Peter T. Daniolos, M.D., a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Iowa School of Medicine," Sweet wrote. "They have two sons, ages 13 and 10."

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.