An all-girls private school in Victoria announced a new leadership team after the entire board of directors resigned over financial issues at the school.
On Jan. 8, St. Margaret’s School sent an email to parents saying the board – including the chair – resigned “due to financial distress, which could not be resolved by the current team.”
READ MORE: All members of Victoria private school board resign over financial issues
Just over a month later, the school announced a new leadership team is taking over.
Sara Blair is taking over the chief executive officer and head of school roles.
In a release, St. Margaret’s School said Blair brings decades of experience working in independent schools and was most recently the director of advancement and external engagement.
She has established the Global Girls Scholarship Program, which aims to provide girls worldwide impacted by war and violence, financial hardships, or restricted access to education with a direct and safe pathway to pursue studies in Canada.
Phil Graham has been named the new chief operations and finance officer.
Graham is a chartered accountant with a master’s in business administration with decades of experience in the independent school system.
The school said Graham is a two-time Olympian and Canadian National Rowing Champion.
He is also treasurer of the board of directors for the Canadian Rowing Foundation, and past director on the board of directors for the Federation of Independent School Associations in British Columbia.
An alumna of the school, Karen Clark Cole, is the acting SMS board chair.
The school describes Cole as an experienced corporate CEO who is “an entrepreneur, girls advocate, and innovative thinker.”
Mackenzie Read
