A Note from Jonathan Schoenwald

11/10/2025

I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am to come to Dawson!

Dear Dawson School Community,

The day I recently spent on campus confirmed what I felt when I first found out about the school: that it’s a place built on close, personal relationships. My conversations with students, faculty and staff, and families were thoughtful and candid. Honestly, from the moment I came up the Drive, I felt like I was home, and I could not be more thrilled about joining the Mustang community.

I am eager to partner with faculty, staff, students, and families as we move Dawson forward together. The commitment I heard about–and felt–from literally everyone I spoke with was palpable. In my experience, when everyone in a school community wants the institution to be the best it can possibly be, there’s not much that can stop that momentum.

I want to thank the Search Committee, the Board of Trustees, and Debbie Reed and Tom Hudnut, the RG175 advisors, all of whom helped me and the School navigate this rigorous, complex search process. In addition to asking me tough questions, everyone who took the time to meet with me that day gave me their honest feedback about what was amazing about Dawson and should never be changed, as well as those areas that need work.

A number of years ago I read an interview with former Harvard President, Drew Faust, who talked about Harvard’s “unfair advantage,” or those things that other schools could simply not compete with because of Harvard’s resources, reputation, and other factors. Dawson has plenty of “unfair advantages,” some of which are obvious (our dedicated faculty and staff; enthusiastic families; abundant experiential opportunities; an incredible campus with resources one usually finds in much larger schools, and a supportive Board and Foundation), and some of which are hiding in plain sight. With your help, there are plenty of other unfair advantages I will be developing over the coming months and years, so get ready to get going!

My wife, Dr. Jana Bruns, is beyond excited to start anew in Colorado, a place we’ve traveled to many times over the past year and a half, when we began spending time in Silverthorne. In addition to moving from a single season climate to four seasons, the skiing, hiking, and biking, all of which we love, are unmatched, and we look forward to spending time with many of you doing these activities. I am looking forward to learning how to fly fish, so if anyone feels like teaching a novice, DM me!

There’s nothing I love more than to be with a group of students and their teacher as they discover things about themselves and their world through rigorous and reflective analytical exploration. These discoveries, which shape young peoples’ lives, already happen inside and outside of Dawson’s classrooms. I mentioned to some groups when I visited that leading Dawson represents a culmination of my lifetime in education.

I will be visiting Dawson periodically throughout the year, and I look forward to meeting and speaking with many of you soon. Just as Dawson’s roots in the Colorado mountains frame its unique identity and deep sense of purpose, Jana and I are eager to put down roots in the greater Boulder community. I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get started.

Warmly,

Jonathan Schoenwald

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