Executive Leadership Team
Stephen Spahn, Chancellor
Celebrating more than 55 years in education, Chancellor of Dwight School Stephen Spahn is the longest-serving school leader in the United States. He has been at Dwight since 1967, igniting the spark of genius in every child, mentoring generations of students, and educating them to become innovative global leaders. In recognition of his outstanding commitment to youth and leadership in the field of education, Chancellor Spahn received the prestigious Louis Hine Award for Distinguished Service in 2011. He also received a 2013 Blackboard Award with a Special Citation for Community and Citizenship, in recognition of the innovative East Harlem community partnership he forged with the 1199 Housing Corporation to create the Dwight School Athletic Center.
Chancellor Spahn was one of the founders of the Anglo-American International School, which joined forces with Dwight School in 1993. A pioneer in international education, he was a founding member of the Guild of International Baccalaureate Schools of the Northeast, served on the International Baccalaureate Board of Governors, and established Dwight’s first campus abroad in London in 1972. Today, as Chancellor of The Dwight Schools, he spearheads the education of nearly 3,500 students through a global network of IB World Schools in New York, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Dubai, Hanoi (opening 2024), and through our online campus, Dwight Global Online School.
Under Chancellor Spahn’s leadership, Dwight became the first school in the Americas to offer all four IB programs for students from preschool-grade 12; and was selected from nearly 3,700 IB World Schools as one of six original Open World Schools to pilot IB courses online. Today, through Dwight Global Online School — ranked #2 best online high school by Newsweek — Dwight offers the same personalized educational journey to students around the world. Under Chancellor Spahn's leadership, Dwight launched Spark Tank, an incubator for K-12 students designed to nurture entrepreneurial, innovation, and leadership skills beyond the classroom. Spark Tank quickly became a signature Dwight program.
As an undergraduate at Dartmouth College, Chancellor Spahn was an All-American basketball player, member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Senior Fellow, and an intern at the United Nations under a 1926 Public Service Fellowship. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, he attended Wadham College, Oxford University; and later completed coursework for a PhD at Columbia University, where he was an International Fellow and a Woodrow Wilson Scholar.
Our Dwight community is extremely fortunate to have unprecedented continuity of leadership under Chancellor Spahn, whose commitment to igniting the spark of genius in every child and cutting-edge education sets Dwight apart from all other schools. Read a special tribute to him below.
Blake Spahn '89, Vice Chancellor
As Vice Chancellor, Blake Spahn ’89 has oversight of all Dwight School operations, extending across the Main Campus, Riverside Campus, 94th Street Campus, and the Dwight School Athletic Center. His strategic oversight ensures the efficient and effective management of all facilities, systems, and staff in support of Dwight's innovative world-class programs.
Dr. Spahn received his BA and MBA degrees from Columbia University, where he was Captain of their undefeated Men’s Tennis Ivy League championship team. He then went on to obtain Masters and Doctorate degrees in Comparative International Education from Oxford. Author of America and the International Baccalaureate, Dr. Spahn has taught English and philosophy in classrooms in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. In addition to founding Dwight’s Early Childhood Division, he has had oversight of our London campus for more than 20 years; and serves today as Vice Chancellor for all Dwight Schools in New York, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Dubai, Hanoi (opening 2024), and Dwight Global Online School.
In 2000, Dr. Spahn co-founded BOOST (Building Opportunities on Student Talent), a non-profit designed to advance prospects for university students in Southern Africa, enabling them to contribute to their own countries’ development. Dr. Spahn was also able to enhance his global vision as a Term Member at the Council on Foreign Relations, to which he was elected in 2005. He is very excited to have his wife, Maryll (Co-Director of Lower and Middle School Admissions), and children, Kyra ’23 and Ronin ’26, join him at Dwight.
Dr. Spahn was named a 2017 Distinguished Leader in Education at the 15th annual Education Update Outstanding Educators of the Year Awards Program.
Dianne Drew, Head of School and Global Education Director
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Ms. Drew is an internationally recognized educator with over 30 years of experience in administration, teaching, curriculum development, and educational consulting in both public and private schools in Australia, Asia, and the U.S. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Post-Graduate Diploma of Education from Australia’s Monash University, and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Management from Bath University.
In combination with her New York Head of School role, Ms. Drew serves as Dwight's Global Education Director supporting the academic needs of all the Schools in the Dwight network: New York, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Dubai, Hanoi (opening 2024), and Dwight Global Online School.
Ms. Drew was elected as a member of the prestigious International Baccalaureate Global Heads Council from 2014-21, serving in a strategic leadership capacity and advising the Director-General of the IB on important IB issues impacting students. She was also elected Chair of the Heads Council in 2018 and served a four-year term. As Chair, Ms. Drew was a member of the IB Board of Governors through 2021.
Ms. Drew is an accomplished IB workshop leader, site evaluator, and consultant for the IB. For five years, she served as Vice President for the Guild of IB Schools of the Northeast (MYP), which is comprised of over 100 public, private, and parochial schools. Ms. Drew is passionate about promoting faculty professional development to ignite the spark of genius in every teacher and fosters enriching cross-campus curricular collaborations among The Dwight Schools to benefit all Dwight students.
board of Governors
The Board of Governors of Dwight School has primary responsibility for overseeing the affairs of the School in accordance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations. The Board focuses on the larger issues of institutional stability and growth, the School’s mission and vision, strategic planning, and at all times works to ensure that the School is operating in the best interests of the students.
- Stephen Spahn, Chancellor
- Blake Spahn '89, Vice Chancellor
- Constance Spahn, Board Member
Senior Leadership Team
The Senior Leadership Team is composed of Division Heads and Directors who meet on a weekly basis to discuss important issues related to school operations, culture, and plans for the community.
- Head of Upper School, Eric Dale
- Head of Middle School, Ron Posner
- Head of Lower School, Delphine Michaud
- Head of Preschool & Kindergarten, Chris Allen
- Associate Head of Middle School & Global Curriculum Director, Shelby Berry
- Associate Head of Lower School, Steve Presti
- Associate Heads of Preschool & Kindergarten, Alicia Morris & Colleen Brown
- Global DEI Director, Khaliah Adams-Joseph
- Global Communications Director, Allison Feldman
- Director of Global College Counseling, Shellee Hendricks
- Global Accounting Director, Carmen Hernandez
- Global Human Resources Director, Raphaelle Sondak