About
Head of School
About Interim Head of School Dr. Sarah Odell
-
Dr. Sarah Odell, Interim Head of School
Throughout her career, Dr. Sarah Odell has asked one question: How do girls learn and lead at their best? That question has guided her work as an English teacher, coach, dorm parent, researcher, director of faculty practice, dean of faculty, and now Interim Head of School at The Ellis School.
Dr. Odell joined Ellis in 2026 as Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning. In just a few months, she brought psychologist Carol Gilligan’s research on girls’ voices into Ellis, created new guidelines for educating girls, and led professional and leadership development for faculty and staff. In October 2026, the Board of Trustees named her Interim Head of School.
Before Ellis, Dr. Odell served as Dean of Faculty at San Francisco University High School. There, she launched an instructional rounds program to strengthen teaching and learning, worked with department chairs to build a shared framework for high-impact teaching, and designed individualized professional growth for faculty. At The Hewitt School, a K–12 girls’ school in New York, she was Director of Faculty Practice and Research and the founding director of the Center for Gender and Ethical Leadership in Society. She led a national study with Gilligan on the emotional and intellectual well-being of high-achieving girls, built research partnerships with five universities, and developed Hewitt’s K–12 Transdisciplinary Studies Department. Dr. Odell began her career in the classroom, teaching English and coaching squash at Miss Porter’s School and The Hill School.
A respected scholar of gender and educational leadership, Dr. Odell has published in Teachers College Record, Frontiers in Education, and the Journal of School Leadership. She has presented at the National Association of Independent Schools, the American Educational Research Association, and the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools, where she delivered a keynote address with Gilligan. Her dissertation received an honorable mention for the American Educational Research Association’s Division A Outstanding Dissertation Award. She has taught in the educational leadership programs at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education and the Klingenstein Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she founded the Women’s Leadership Institute.
Dr. Odell holds a doctorate in educational leadership and policy analysis from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a master’s degree in school leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and religion from Wellesley College. She is a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. A three-time member of the U.S. Squash National Team, she founded the first women’s doubles squash league in the United States.
Related News
List of 5 news stories.
-
Caring for Our Teachers, Enriching Student Learning
In her article, “Leadership Lessons: Teacher Working Conditions Are Student Learning Conditions,” published in the Fall 2024 issue of Independent School magazine, Interim Head of School Sarah Odell reflects on the powerful connection between caring for educators and creating meaningful learning experiences for students. -
Dr. Sarah Odell’s Recommended Reading
These books have shaped how Dr. Sarah Odell thinks about girls, women, confidence, and leadership. -
Listen: Dr. Sarah Odell on Girls’ Education and Women’s Leadership
In 2025, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) invited Dr. Sarah Odell to its Member Voices series to talk about her work in girls’ education and her research on women’s leadership. -
Watch: Dr. Sarah Odell and Carol Gilligan Open the ICGS 2023 Conference
Interim Head of School Dr. Sarah Odell joined psychologist Carol Gilligan on stage for the opening keynote of the International Coalition of Girls’ Schools 2023 Conference. -
On Returning to Girls Schools: The Future of Ellis and Single Gender Education
In the fall of 2002, I entered Phillips Exeter Academy as a 13-year old. I had made the decision, with the support of my parents, to leave the day school I had attended outside of Philadelphia because I wasn’t being challenged academically and other girls made fun of me for doing well in school.
