An experienced schoolteacher and educational administrator, Amy Purcell Vorenberg has led and advised schools for more than three decades. Over the course of her career, Amy Purcell Vorenberg has served as head of school with both Beauvoir Elementary School at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC, and The Philadelphia School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently building upon her master of science in early childhood education from Wheelock College as a student in Harvard University’s Certificate of Advanced Graduate Leadership program.
In addition to her work as a head of school, Ms. Vorenberg has sat on multiple independent school boards of directors and taught lower elementary classes with several independent schools in Massachusetts. To augment and inform her professional activities, she holds active membership organizations such as the National Association of Independent Schools and the Headmistresses Association of the East. She also belong to the Heads Network, an association of more than 200 North American schools that focuses on the education of girls and the development of female educational leaders.
In addition to her work as a head of school, Ms. Vorenberg has sat on multiple independent school boards of directors and taught lower elementary classes with several independent schools in Massachusetts. To augment and inform her professional activities, she holds active membership organizations such as the National Association of Independent Schools and the Headmistresses Association of the East. She also belong to the Heads Network, an association of more than 200 North American schools that focuses on the education of girls and the development of female educational leaders.
Head of School
Beauvoir, The Elementary School at the National Cathedral
July 2013
to June 2017
- • Worked with St. Albans School, National Cathedral School and Washington National Cathedral to collaboratively manage the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation. • Redesigned Beauvoir’s administrative structure to support an enhanced culture of thinking, teaching and learning across the school. • Enhanced the teaching model across the school to build teacher capacity through team teaching. • Developed programming to support diversity, equity and inclusion across the school, including a new initiative Kaleidoscope (parent diversity group).
Head of School
The Philadelphia School
July 2006
to June 2013
- • Worked with Board of Trustees to purchase and develop property from the City of Philadelphia. Repurposed a garage building into a Multipurpose Theater and developed a LEED certified Early Childhood Classroom building and gardens with over 14,000 square feet of new teaching spaces • Developed and achieved strategic plan, master plan, school size model, in support of property acquisition. • Redesigned administrative structure, thematic curricular sequence, and teacher evaluation/professional development system • Raised over $6,000,000 in Every Inch a Classroom Capital Campaign, including two seven-figure gifts, to fund new teaching space in two buildings. Purchased property from the City of Philadelphia through Bond financing, renegotiated to conventional debt, for 8.3 million. Secured a $1,000,000 Redevelopment Authority for Capital Projects grant from the State of Pennsylvania to develop School project. • Student body grew by 50 students, from 360 to 410 children, in six years (2007-2012) and created school size model for future growth to 500 students.
