CHAPIN'S SEVENTH HEAD OF SCHOOL 

Suzanne Fogarty is Head of School of The Chapin School. Ms. Fogarty came to Chapin in July 2020 with an exemplary record of driving performance, creating innovative programs and fostering collaborations, not only during her six years as Head of Lincoln School in Rhode Island, but also at three New York City independent schools where she spent more than two decades as a teacher and administrative leader. With instructional experience in all three divisions, Ms. Fogarty has created environments in which community members are willing, able and excited to collaborate and innovate to best meet the developmental needs of children in Kindergarten through Class 12.

Ms. Fogarty has continued Chapin’s tradition of academic excellence and our forward-focused work in enhancing, developing and implementing programming to fill our vibrant new spaces and integrating athletics, wellness, arts and other programs with our broader educational mission. In addition to the robust programming currently afoot, Ms. Fogarty, in collaboration with Professional Community members, has cultivated exciting new partnerships with a diverse range of institutions to enhance our students’ learning and foster connections outside of the classroom.

Beginning January 2022, in collaboration with Cooper Union’s School of Architecture, Chapin implemented a rigorous Architecture course for students in Classes 9-12. The STEAM-focused program, taking place at Chapin and Cooper Union, allows students to develop the analytical tools necessary to describe and examine the fundamentals of architectural representation while experiencing the enjoyment of making and experimenting through these studied methods.

Another important addition to our curriculum is the Upper School Fly Lab course, where students are conducting first-hand genetic manipulation using drosophila (fruit flies) through Stanford University-designed protocols from Stan-X, an innovative science education partnership of which Chapin is a member.

In January 2023, Ms. Fogarty and a team of Chapin faculty members expanded the School’s partnership with the Yale School of Public Health to implement an US FOCUS course on public health. Enrolled students learn public health and medical vocabulary, its interdisciplinary and broad reach, technical proficiency, historic and contemporary women in the public health field, and career opportunities.

Ms. Fogarty has also harnessed our students' excitement and passion for Speech & Debate and helped to expand programming within each division as well as develop two new US Speech & Debate FOCUS courses. As well, our first-ever Middle School Speech & Debate team launched in September 2022 with a record of over 100 student sign-ups.

Ms. Fogarty earned a Masters in Elementary Education, Magna Cum Laude, from Bank Street College and has a B.A. in English and French from Bowdoin College. She is a frequent presenter, having spoken on girls’ education at Private Schools for Public Purpose conference in NYC, at the Global Gathering NYC: Schools of Purpose conference, and at the Wonder Woman Conference: Leadership and Design, among others.