Cranbrook Educational Community Announces New Director of Cranbrook Schools

Jeff Suzik, Ph.D. to Succeed President-Elect Aimeclaire Roche
Bloomfield Hills, Mich, February 4, 2021 – Cranbrook Educational Community (CEC) announced today that, following an extensive national search, Dr. Jeff Suzik has been named the next Director of Cranbrook Schools. 

He will succeed current Director of Schools Aimeclaire Roche on July 1, 2021 when she assumes the role of President of Cranbrook Educational Community. 

The announcement was made today by President of Cranbrook Educational Community Dominic DiMarco, Chair of the Cranbrook Schools Board of Governors Sidhdharth D. Sheth, and Vice Chair Pamela Applebaum. The Schools Board of Governors and the Cranbrook Educational Community Board of Trustees voted unanimously in favor of Suzik’s appointment.

Suzik, a Michigan native, is currently the Director of Fanny Edel Falk Laboratory School at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is also an associate professor at the School of Education. He is currently a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) Board of Directors, president of the Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools (PCIS), and a member of the Office of Child Development Advisory Board at the University of Pittsburgh. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Carnegie Mellon University, and was awarded Phi Beta Kappa at Gustavus Adolphus College and was a recipient of an E.E. Ford Fellowship for Aspiring Heads of School. 

“When our founders, George and Ellen Booth, founded the Schools in the 1920s, they entrusted Cranbrook’s future with confidence to those who would follow in their footsteps,” said DiMarco. “Today, I share that same trust with every confidence in Aimeclaire and Jeff, the inspired leadership with which they will guide us, and the imperishable spirit of Cranbrook Educational Community.”

DiMarco’s enthusiasm for the appointment was echoed by Roche. 

“With a very personal and vested interest in the success of Cranbrook Schools, I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Suzik to Cranbrook Educational Community. The full and thorough search process made clear that Jeff possesses the essential qualities of an inspiring leader: heartfelt passion and a tireless work ethic. Most important, Jeff approaches all facets of the work of schools purposefully; Jeff’s commitment to intentional practice will allow Cranbrook to flourish, and to thrive at the vanguard of independent schools nationally. I am energized for our partnership and an exciting chapter ahead,” Roche said. 

Chair of the Cranbrook Schools Board of Governors Sidhdharth D. Sheth, who along with Vice Chair Pamela Applebaum headed the committee tasked with finding the new director, shared, “The outstanding caliber and diversity of the applicants for the position speaks to the reputation of the school. Ultimately, given the complexity of the Cranbrook Educational Community and depth and breadth of the Schools’ program, we are eager to have a sitting head who brings parallel experiences with him.” 

According to Applebaum, “Welcoming Dr. Jeff Suzik as the next director of Schools feels as if we have found a kindred soul. As an alumna, a parent of graduates, and an engaged volunteer, I know that Jeff will embrace the traditions that make the Cranbrook experience so special to the students, parents, and so often grandparents. He is passionate about Cranbrook as a historian, he appreciates the Booth’s vision, and as an educator he understands the need to evolve and grow.” 

Dr. Suzik previously served as Head of School at Mounds Park Academy in Saint Paul, Minnesota and Assistant Head of School at Mary Institute & St. Louis Country Day School in St. Louis, Missouri. In all, Suzik brings more than twenty years’ experience in academic administration to the position. He has taught at the preparatory and university levels since 1992 and is a published writer on a range of educational and historical topics.

“I am both thrilled and humbled to have been invited to join the Cranbrook community as its next Director of Schools. Cranbrook’s national reputation precedes it and is the product of decades of principled and intentional work with children and young people,” Suzik remarked. “Founded on the innovative notion that children’s experiences in school should be as rich and vast as life itself—infused with art, physical activity, appreciation of nature, and of course, academics—the Schools have provided generations of students with an exceptional grounding in what it means, simply, to be human. The Schools have a well-earned reputation for developing bright, thoughtful, articulate, and kind students, ones who go on to make meaningful, life-long contributions to society. It is an opportunity that is second-to-none.” 

About Cranbrook Schools 
Cranbrook Schools, located in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, is a comprehensive, college-preparatory learning environment, comprised of Brookside (Pre-K through grade 5), Cranbrook Kingswood Girls Middle School and Boys Middle School (grades 6 through 8) and Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School (grades 9 through 12 with day and boarding programs).  The Schools are a division of Cranbrook Educational Community, which also includes Cranbrook’s Academy of Art, Art Museum, Institute of Science, and other affiliated cultural and educational programs.

About Cranbrook Educational Community
Founded in 1904 by George Gough Booth and Ellen Scripps Booth, Cranbrook is a leading center of education, science, and art. Today, the Cranbrook Educational Community is comprised of Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, Cranbrook House & Gardens, Cranbrook Institute of Science, and Cranbrook Schools. Its National Historic Landmark campus is graced by architecturally significant buildings, outdoor sculpture, and natural and tended landscapes. The Cranbrook community receives more than 300,000 people annually, engaging learners of all ages and interests in educational programs and experiences.
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