Head of School
ANTHONY PISAPIA
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Marshall School is pleased to welcome Mr. Anthony Pisapia as Head of School beginning July 1, 2024.
Mr. Pisapia is an educator with over 21 years of experience leading independent schools and education-focused nonprofit organizations. Most recently, he served as Associate Head of School and Chief Innovation and Information Officer at Tower Hill School, an independent PreK-12 school of 861 students in Wilmington, Delaware. There he led Tower Hill’s academic program, helping to send graduates to the most prestigious colleges in the country. During his tenure, Tower Hill’s enrollment grew by 20% and the school completed a successful $19,900,000 campaign.
As formerly both an upper school advisor and teacher, Mr. Pisapia enjoys helping students achieve their goals. He has helped students engage in original research, gain authorship credit in scientific journals, and create projects in partnership with leading universities. Mr. Pisapia began Tower Hill’s first computer science department and launched a course in social entrepreneurship that concluded with a certificate from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Mr. Pisapia helped launch Tower Term, a program similar to iTerm, the school’s Wellness Center, and its Teaching and Learning Center.
As Associate Head of School, Mr. Pisapia oversaw many of Tower Hill’s daily operations, including campus-wide school safety. He served as the school’s Interim CFO for a time and brings a strong financial skill set. He was also involved in significant building projects, completing the school’s new Center for Innovation, Outdoor Experiential Playground, and Dining Commons.
Throughout his career, Mr. Pisapia has been integral in both hiring and supporting teachers. He is proud to have multiplied Tower Hill’s investment in professional development, helped create programs like the school’s Collaboratory where teachers teach teachers, and brought acclaimed speakers to the school. He has served on multiple accreditation committees, presented at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Conference, and completed the prestigious NAIS Fellowship for Aspiring School Heads.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Pisapia was the Founding Head of School at Zip Code Wilmington, an ongoing and successful nonprofit coding school that partners with corporations such as JPMorgan Chase, Capital One, Barclays, and Bank of America to train and place software developers. Before that, Mr. Pisapia was Associate Executive Director at Tech Impact, a nonprofit technology company started with support from Microsoft. Mr. Pisapia grew that organization from a nascent nonprofit serving 30 organizations in Philadelphia into a global thought leader that, today, has trained and supported thousands of nonprofits and nonprofit leaders. While at Tech Impact, Mr. Pisapia started the ITWorks program, a technology workforce training program focused on helping at-risk young adults break the cycle of poverty.
Mr. Pisapia completed his Master’s Degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Education with a focus on Independent School Leadership. He earned dual Bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Music from the University of Delaware, and a certificate in Fundraising from Villanova University.
Marshall’s Board of Trustees and Search Committee chose Mr. Pisapia following a five-month thorough and public search. The process brought forth qualified candidates from across the globe, and ultimately three finalists were brought to campus who engaged with students, faculty, staff, and parents. From the group, both the Search Committee and Board of Trustees unanimously agreed that Mr. Pisapia’s experience matched and exceeded the desired qualifications for Marshall’s next Head of School.
“We are so excited to welcome Anthony, his wife Allison, and their three children into the Marshall School and Duluth communities,” said Laura Mullen, Search Committee Co-Chair. “Anthony is an exceptional educator and leader, and we look forward to watching his leadership flourish alongside our talented and dedicated faculty and staff for our beloved school on the hill. His love of education is apparent, his business and financial acumen is a massive asset to our community, and his deep background in technology learnings will help guide Marshall School into the modern landscape with ease. Marshall School exists to prepare our K-12 students not only for exceptional outcomes in college and their work life, but also to create the leaders and thinkers of our future. Anthony is a renaissance man with many interests and talents beyond the classroom, which is a great example for our students as they find where their interests lie in the openness of Marshall’s co-curricular offerings, creating the framework for a holistic life well lived. We can’t wait for students, faculty, staff and the whole of the Duluth community to get to know Anthony and his family in the coming year and beyond.”