Sylvia Rodríguez Vargas, Ph.D., Interim Head of School

Dr. Sylvia Rodríguez Vargas was appointed Interim Head of School in December 2022 by Board Chair James Alexandre '75. She will serve as interim head January 1 through June 30, 2023. Dr. Rodríguez Vargas has served as the Associate Head of School since 2020. In her role as Associate Head, Dr. Rodríguez Vargas has provided oversight of academic programs and curriculum development, student support services and community life, college advising, academic technology, athletics and co-curriculars, spiritual life and equity, and implementation of H-Term. She also manages faculty recruitment, performance reviews, professional development, and serves as the Board of Trustees liaison for the Education Committee. Additionally, Dr. Rodríguez Vargas has served as an instructor of Spanish, dean on duty, student adviser, and chair of Hill’s reaccreditation with Middle States Association.

She has been serving independent day and boarding schools for more than 25 years in a variety of roles. For the five years prior to joining The Hill’s senior leadership team, Dr. Rodríguez Vargas was the Associate Head of School and Director of Strategic Initiatives at Atlanta Girls’ School. Dr. Rodríguez Vargas has been a teacher, department chair, division director, communications and marketing chair, academic dean, associate head, and head of school.  Also active in national independent school efforts, she co-chaired the NAIS People of Color Conference in Atlanta in 2016 and has offered several workshops throughout the years at both the NAIS and PoCC annual conferences.  She completed her doctoral research investigating the lived experience of women of color heads of schools.  Her published work, Women of Color Heads of Independent Schools: A Framework of Culturally Relevant Leadership, includes the experiences of 10 women and their journeys in school leadership.

In addition to her work in independent schools, Dr. Rodríguez Vargas has served as an instructor and adjunct professor at The Ohio State University and the City University of New York. She completed a seminar on school leadership at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education and was an NAIS E.E. Ford Fellow for Aspiring Heads. Most recently, Dr. Rodríguez Vargas completed the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate at Cornell University and the Executive Scholars Certificate at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She was invited and continues to serve on the U.S. Department of Education’s NAEP Principal’s Panel since 2017; serves as a Master’s Degree Candidates Practicum Mentor at the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University; has served on advisory boards; was a mentor with the Hispanic Chamber of Columbus, Ohio; and has published various articles on school leadership.

Dr. Rodríguez Vargas earned her B.A. in Spanish Language and Literature and Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies from Binghamton University; an M.Ed. in Educational Administration, Private School Leadership from Columbia University; and an M.A. in Latin American Literature and Literary Analysis and Ph.D. in Educational Administration from The Ohio State University.

Dr. Rodríguez Vargas and her husband, Brian, reside on campus and are the proud parents of their daughter, Kayla.

EDUCATION:

The Ohio State University | Ph.D. Educational Administration

Columbia University | M.Ed. Organizational Leadership, Joseph Klingenstein Fellow

The Ohio State University | M.A. Latin American Literature and Literary Theory

Binghamton University, SUNY | B.A. Spanish Language and Latin American Studies

Harvard University | Improving Schools: The Art of Leadership, Certificate

Cornell University | Diversity and Inclusion, Certificate        

Northwestern University | Kellogg School of Management, Executive Scholars Certificate

New York State Certifications | Supervisor (Principal) and District Administrator (Superintendent)