Head of School Kathleen Devaney

Kathleen brings more than three decades of experience as a dedicated and passionate boarding school educator and leader, including roles at Deerfield Academy and a distinguished 25-year tenure as a teacher, coach, and administrator at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, prior to her arrival at Hill.

During her time at Westminster, she served in a variety of capacities, including Assistant Head of School, Dean of Students, and Director of Student Life, all while remaining a committed classroom teacher in the history department and coach of a variety of different teams. Before her appointment at Hill, Kathleen was the founding Executive Director of Horizons at Westminster since 2018.

Before joining the boarding school world, Kathleen worked in corporate banking in New York City and taught English in Germany as a Fulbright grant. She is a graduate of Bowdoin College and holds a master’s degree from Dartmouth.

Kathleen’s husband, Mark de Kanter, is a member of The Hill School faculty and serves as a science teacher, adviser, quash and track coach, and Director of Faculty Development. Their son, Emmett, is a graduate of Harvard University and works in finance in New York City, while their daughter, Samantha, is a graduate of Boston College and works in accounting finance in Philadelphia.