Gill St. Bernard's School Announces Appointment of Gage Dobbins as Assistant Head of School for Strategy and External Engagement

Dear Gill St. Bernard's Community, 

It is with great enthusiasm that I announce the appointment of Gage Dobbins as Gill St. Bernard's inaugural Assistant Head of School for Strategy and External Engagement, effective August 2026.

Over the past year, our community has helped shape a strategic framework that will guide Gill St. Bernard's in the years ahead. As we prepare to share that vision more broadly, it became clear that realizing it will require even greater alignment among enrollment, advancement, marketing and communications, and our relationships with prospective families, current families, alumni, parents, donors, and friends. Creating this new role reflects our commitment to ensuring these efforts work together to strengthen the student experience and the long-term vitality of the school.

Throughout our national search, it became unmistakably clear that Gage possesses both the experience and the leadership qualities needed for this work. What impressed me most, however, was not simply Gage's experience, but the way she thinks about schools. She understands that the student experience, institutional identity, enrollment, philanthropy, and long-term sustainability are not separate priorities to be managed independently, but interconnected expressions of a school's mission. That perspective aligns closely with the future we are building together at Gill St. Bernard's.

Gage brings to Gill St. Bernard's more than twenty-five years of leadership in independent schools, most recently serving for fourteen years at Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts, as Director of Institutional Advancement and a member of the senior administrative team. During her tenure, she helped lead efforts that raised more than $145 million in philanthropic support while strengthening Brooks' advancement program, institutional positioning, and strategic planning. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions at Groton School before serving as Assistant Head of School at Nantucket New School, where she oversaw admissions, advancement, communications, and marketing. Taken together, these experiences have given her a broad perspective on how schools grow thoughtfully while remaining deeply grounded in mission.

Just as importantly, Gage is an educator at heart. Throughout her career she has taught, coached, advised students, and served in a wide range of leadership roles because she believes schools are, first and foremost, communities. She understands that strong institutions are built through authentic relationships and that students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees are all essential partners in that work.

In her role as Assistant Head of School for Strategy and External Engagement, Gage will provide strategic leadership of Advancement and Admissions & Financial Aid and work closely with colleagues across the school—and especially with our Marketing and Communications and academic leadership teams—to align enrollment, advancement, and external engagement with our strategic framework. She will strengthen community engagement, cultivate partnerships, and help position Gill St. Bernard's for future philanthropic growth and a comprehensive capital campaign.

A graduate of Groton School, Gage earned her bachelor's degree from Denison University, completed graduate work in nonprofit management at Case Western Reserve University, and received her master's degree in educational leadership from George Washington University.

I am deeply grateful to the members of our search committee for the time, wisdom, and thoughtful discernment they brought to this important process. Their partnership and careful consideration helped ensure that we identified a leader whose experience, values, and vision align beautifully with the future we are building together.

Please join me in warmly welcoming Gage Dobbins to Gill St. Bernard's School. I know you will enjoy getting to know her in the months ahead, and I am excited for the leadership, partnership, and perspective she will bring to our community.

The creation of this role reflects our confidence in Gill St. Bernard's future. Bringing Gage to our community reflects our confidence that we have found the right leader to help us move that future forward. Together, I am confident we will continue building the school we know Gill St. Bernard's can become.

Warmly,
Delvin Dinkins, Ed.D.
Head of School