Breck Announces Dr. Troy Baker as the Next US Director

After an inclusive and comprehensive search process that elicited outstanding national and international candidates, Breck is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Troy Baker as our next Upper School Director. Dr. Baker will join Breck starting July 1, 2021. As a school, we are deeply grateful to our consulting partners and all of the faculty and staff, parents, and students who participated in the process. A special thank you goes to the members of the search advisory committee for their dedication and time: Whitney Clark ‘02, Dallas Crow, Mary Gentry, Heidi Kim, Cynthia Lotze, Jonathan Nicholson, Kyle Parsons, Jessica Wanless, and Brian Wright. The feedback we received about the process and the candidates in general was overwhelmingly positive. Specifically, in a highly qualified and competitive field, Dr. Baker consistently emerged as the top candidate to lead our Upper School at this moment in our school’s story.

With over 18 years of experience in education, Dr. Baker brings a wealth of knowledge and a firmly established philosophy of education that is deeply aligned with Breck’s mission and vision for our Upper School. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Troy earned his Master of Arts in Teaching from Brown University and his Educational Doctorate from Vanderbilt University. He comes to us from Pace Academy in Atlanta, Georgia, where he served as Athletic Director and most recently as Director of Student Life for grades K-12. Troy is a passionate, caring, and thoughtful school leader who embraces complexity and holds firm to shared beliefs and values. He has a proven track record of building positive culture and strong outcomes for students. He is keenly attuned to the developmental stage of upper school students and is enthusiastic about collaborating across our school to leverage our signature Peter Clark Center and Melrose Center programming in the Upper School. Troy says his approach to leadership is “based on challenging and supporting others to be their best.” Troy’s commitments to academic excellence and inclusion are a perfect match for the direction of our Upper School community. And in true Breck fashion, he describes himself as a servant leader who is eager to lead and learn in equal measure. As the committee and community came to know him through the search process, Troy was described as an authentic, compassionate, and strategic school leader who draws people in and builds culture around shared purpose. Many noted his broad experiences with all facets of independent school leadership, which he balances with strong interpersonal relationships with faculty and staff, parents, and students alike.

Troy and his wife, Lori, have four children, Spencer, McKenzie, Logan and their youngest, Dylan, who will be a senior in the 2021-22 school year. Their family is excited to embark on this new adventure. As an avid fisherman, Troy is especially excited to get on our Minnesota lakes all year long. We look forward to hosting Troy and Lori on campus this spring, as Troy gets to know the Breck community and culture. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Troy Baker and welcoming him. We can’t wait to see the whole Baker family donning our Mustang Blue & Gold!

-Natalia Rico Hernández, Ed.D., Head of School