50th Timeline: 2010 – Drew Smith Departs Friends School Mullica Hill

In the summer of 2009, Drew Smith shared with the Board that he planned to leave the School at the end of the 2009-2010 academic year.  Unlike some of the School’s previous Heads, Drew gave the School ample warning to conduct a full and comprehensive search for his replacement.  After a quarter century at Mullica Hill (including countless field trips such as the one pictured here to Washington D.C.), Drew believed that it was time for a change both for himself and for the School.  His decade of service as Head of School ranked just behind John Harkins in length of service.  One of the disadvantages for Drew in telling the Board so early was that he had not yet secured a new position.  His decision was indeed made with the best interest of the School in mind.  He ended up going through the search process at the same time as the School, and the community were all thankful when he secured a position in the Spring of 2010 as the Chief Executive Officer and Principal of the Russell Byers Charter School in Philadelphia.  The school year ended with a celebration of Drew’s long service, where many individuals contributed to a fund to improve the technology at the School, one of Drew’s passions.