Head of School Kathleen Devaney

For the past 30 years, Kathleen has been a dedicated and passionate boarding school leader, having served as a teacher, coach, and administrator at Deerfield Academy, and for the last 25 years, at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut.

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.

Prior to joining the boarding school world, Kathleen worked in corporate banking in New York City and taught English in Germany as a Fulbright grant. She holds a B.A. from Bowdoin College and an M.A.L.S. from Dartmouth College.

Kathleen’s husband, Mark de Kanter, a graduate of Westminster and a veteran boarding school teacher, coach, and administrator, is currently serving at Hill as an instructor of science, adviser, and assistant track and field coach. Kathleen and Mark have two children, Emmett, a senior at Harvard University, and daughter, Samantha, a sophomore at Boston College.