Timothy Cottrell, head of the Harley School in Rochester, N.Y., has been chosen to replace longtime ‘Iolani Headmaster Val Iwashita, who will retire in June.
"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Cottrell to the ‘Iolani family," Jenai S. Wall, chairwoman of ‘Iolani’s board of governors, said in an announcement Monday. "An inspiring and visionary leader with an entrepreneurial spirit, Tim believes that schools define themselves not only by academic excellence, but also by the works of good they foster in the world."
In his nearly six years at Harley, Cottrell boosted enrollment to record levels — with 526 students in preschool through 12th grade — strengthened academics and doubled its financial aid commitment. Under his leadership, Harley won awards for its green practices and landed a grant to establish a Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education.
"The honor to lead ‘Iolani, one of the top schools in the world, and become part of the remarkable faculty, staff, parent and alumni communities is the greatest opportunity of my career," said Cottrell, 47, who earned a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Princeton University.
He and his wife, Lisa, have two sons, Connor, 10 and Sean, 8, who look forward to "diving right into becoming part of the ‘Iolani community," Cottrell wrote in a letter read to students Monday when his selection was announced. He said he loves to help with student-led projects, and cited a few examples.
"I worked with some seniors to convert a Mercedes Benz to run on vegetable oil, with some juniors to make a photobio reactor to grow algae, with the third grade to create a garlic growing company, and on many all-school green, sustainability and food initiatives," he wrote.
Cottrell grew up in Geneseo, N.Y., and got his B.S. in chemical engineering at Syracuse University before heading to Princeton. In 1994 he founded an interactive multimedia software company, Princeton Teaching Associates Software. He also taught at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey and became its senior administrator.
At Harley he created the Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association, a model for public-private partnerships to help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and others.
Terry Foy, president of the ‘Iolani Ohana, the parent association, said she appreciated the open way the administration handled the search, seeking input from all stakeholders and helping ease the transition from Iwashita, who has led the school for 17 years.
"What I was especially pleased about from a parental perspective was how ‘Iolani involved the entire community," Foy said. "I have a lot trust in that final decision because of that process."
‘Iolani, which marks its 150th anniversary next year, has more than 1,800 students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
"The warmth, sincerity, and humility that my family and I have come to appreciate as central to the ‘Iolani community and Hawaiian culture offers a perspective of great benefit to the evolving tenor of educational goals of the nation and the world," Cottrell said.
