For the first time in three decades, Hathaway Brown School is experiencing a leadership transition. Dr. Mary Frances “Fran” Bisselle, 46, is now at the helm of this 140-year-old Shaker Heights school for girls. She succeeds longtime Head of School Bill Christ, who retired from the position at the close of the 2015-2016 school year. He had been in the job since 1987.
A native of Philadelphia, Bisselle comes to Cleveland from Manchester Center, Vermont, where she was head of Maple Street School, a K-8 co-ed independent school, for the last nine years. An outgoing woman with an exuberant personality and a dedication to female empowerment, she herself is a graduate of a K-12 all-girls Catholic school and also is one of 15 children, including 11 sisters, and two daughters of her own.
During her first visit to HB last summer, Bisselle says, she felt an immediate connection to the school intellectually, professionally and intuitively. “I knew it was a special place and I could be a good match,” she recalls. “There’s a warm sense of family at HB, along with the pride of the alumnae, the energy of the students and the exceptional educators. That’s something people really want at their schools: a dynamic family. And women’s leadership matters here. There is a true belief in the capabilities of young women.”
Hathaway Brown, which was established in 1876 as “afternoon classes for young ladies” in downtown Cleveland at what was then the all-boys Brooks Military School, enjoys a strong reputation for its innovative academic architecture and successful athletic programs. The school is home to the Institute for 21st Century Education, which allows girls to pursue interests in a variety of disciplines outside of the traditional classroom setting. The institute encompasses 11 distinct “centers,” — areas of focus that include global citizenship, science research, writing, business and finance, leadership, civic engagement and more. HB also fields 11 varsity teams in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Division II, and HB athletes have won 20 individual and team state championships since 2002.
Having grown up in a household with so many children, Bisselle says, sports have been a constant theme in her life. She played Division I field hockey at Boston College, where she also earned an undergraduate degree in history. She continues to be physically active as a marathon runner and golfer. Bisselle’s daughters, Lucille, 19, a sophomore at University of Vermont, and Agnes, 18, an incoming freshman at Hobart and William Smith College, are athletes as well. In fact, Agnes is the reigning Burlington Free Press “Miss Hockey,” an honor given to the top girls hockey player in Vermont.
After she graduated from BC, Bisselle earned a master’s degree in administration in liberal studies with a concentration in history from Wesleyan University. She went on to earn a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies with a concentration in curriculum, instruction and assessment from the University of Vermont while she was raising her daughters. During her career, she has served as classroom teacher, dean of students, coach, dorm parent, educational consultant and teaching fellow. Other professional highlights include helping to raise $12 million to establish Camp Dudley at Kiniya, an overnight camp for girls in the Adirondacks.
In her first few months on the job at HB, Bisselle plans to do a lot of listening. As the school already has a strategic plan in place, she says, change is not her priority. “HB is nationally recognized as one of the best girls’ schools in the country,” she says. “Bill Christ’s legacy is well known, and I have big shoes to fill. That is the intimidating part. But having started an all-girls camp and having 11 sisters and two daughters, I know a lot of who I became as a leader was due to the foundation I received myself at an all-girls school. It was very defining for me.”
HB’s search for a new head of school included candidates from across the country, and took place over the course of 10 months in 2015. Thirteen committee members of alumnae, appointed faculty, parents and school trustees narrowed the field to three before a unanimous decision was made to bring Bisselle on board. “Everyone wanted a strong, energetic, creative, warm, nurturing leader — someone who would connect with the HB community,” says search committee chair Helen Rankin Butler, an HB alumna, former parent and member of the board of trustees. “And we found the right candidate.”
Paul Matsen, Cleveland Clinic’s chief marketing and communications officer and president of the HB board of trustees, has no doubt that Bisselle will seamlessly integrate into her role at HB and become an important part of the leadership landscape in Northeast Ohio. “We are thrilled to have Fran on board. This is a role she has prepared for her entire career,” he says. “This is a great time for her to come to HB. The school is successful and strong. Sometimes the head of an organization has to come in and turn around a situation or manage a crisis, but that’s not the case here. HB has many, many strengths that we know Fran can build on.”
Matsen knows from personal experience what a friendly environment HB is for newcomers. Nine years ago, he and his wife, Leslie, moved from Atlanta to Cleveland with their three daughters, Courtney, Caitlin and Caroline, all of whom are now HB graduates. “The school became a centerpiece in our lives,” he says. “We felt at home in the vibrant Cleveland area and at HB. And now we look forward to welcoming Fran to our community and witnessing all of the great things that she will do here.”