O'Connor no longer head of Sewickley Academy

According to the Sewickley Academy Board of Trustees, Head of School Kolia O’Connor is no longer serving the school, effective June 25. Dr. Ashley (Brown ‘00) Birtwell is currently serving as the Interim Head of School.

In a statement released to the school community, chair of the board of trustees Kate (Poppenberg ’82) Pigman and vice-chair Brad Busatto (’88) said that it was a mutual decision between O’Connor and the board of trustees, as they determined that a change in leadership was in the best interest of the school.

According to a news release, Birtwell attended Sewickley Academy from seventh through 10th grade and graduated from Western Reserve Academy in Ohio in 2000. She attended Middlebury College, where she majored in economics and minored in mathematics. After graduation, she pursued a master of science in public policy and management from the Heinz School at Carnegie Mellon University and then earned a Ph.D. from MIT in organizational behavior.

She has served on Sewickley Academy’s board of trustees for the last two years and is currently a member of the board of directors at the Laughlin Children’s Center.

“Ashley’s passion for Sewickley Academy was formed long ago as a student, she understands the needs of our community, and she is uniquely positioned to serve as Interim Head of School at this critical time,” Pigman and Busatto said in a joint statement via a news release.

Sewickley Academy is planning on launching a national search for a new permanent Head of School.

“While we appreciate that uncertainty and anxiety accompany times of change, we firmly believe that this transition is in the best interest of our amazing students, our dedicated faculty and staff, and our SA community,” Pigman and Busatto said. “Our future remains bright, and we must not lose sight of that. We remain deeply grateful for your continued patience, trust and confidence.”