Prominent Charlotte private school abruptly ousts its leader. What happened?
One of Charlotte’s most prominent private schools ousted its head of school on Friday.
“The Board of Trustees and our Head of School, Marcel Gauthier, have made the decision to part ways,” Bill Zimmern, chairman of the board of trustees at Charlotte Country Day School, wrote in an email message to the school community. ”Marcel will transition his responsibilities effective today.”
The Charlotte Observer obtained a copy of the message sent Friday afternoon.
Gauthier’s ouster came days after the school announced that its head of upper school won’t return after this school year.
“We thank Marcel for his service to Country Day and wish him well as he moves forward to the next chapter of his career,” Zimmern wrote.
Zimmern didn’t say in his message what Gauthier’s “next chapter” might be and cited no accomplishments by Gauthier during his tenure.
“Having engaged in a thoughtful and careful process, the Board unanimously decided that this change is the right next step for our school at this time,” Zimmern wrote.
Attempts by The Charlotte Observer on Saturday to reach both men were unsuccessful.
“Dynamic leader and educator”
Charlotte Country Day is a secular junior kindergarten-12th grade school on Carmel Road in south Charlotte.
Founded in 1941, Country Day was the first independent school in Charlotte, according to its website. The school remains one of the largest independent, coeducational college prep schools in the area and among the top 20 in the country, officials said.
Gauthier began as head of school in July 2022, according to his bio on Linkedin.
The school’s website described Gauthier, its 12th head of school, as “a dynamic leader and educator.”
He previously served as head of school at Shanghai American School in China, a two-campus school with at least 2,800 students, according to the Country Day website.
The school’s last mention of Gauthier on its social media channels came on Dec. 8: A picture on Facebook of “Mr. G” welcoming Lower School children for a visit to celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.
Interim replacement
David Mancos, the school’s chief financial officer, has been named interim head of school, Zimmern said. Mancos also served in the role for the 2021-22 school year, Zimmern added.
“David has demonstrated keen leadership and communication skills, steadfast dedication, and tremendous strategic vision throughout his distinguished career at Country Day,” according to Zimmern’s message.
In the next few weeks, the board will begin a national search for the next head of school. That person will start in the 2025-26 school year, Zimmern said.
“While change can be unsettling, our Board has never been more optimistic about the future of our school,” Zimmern said.
He thanked the school community for their support “during this transition.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2023 at 2:25 PM.