Aaron Mieszczanski will replace Elizabeth Riordan as Director of Admission, President Rick Commons announced in an email Jan. 2.
Riordan is stepping down at the end of the school year to focus on public education. She has been the Director of Admission for 26 years at both Harvard-Westlake and the Westlake School for Girls.
Mieszczanski earned his Bachelor of Arts from Williams College in history and his Master of Science in Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania in School Leadership. Currently, Mieszczanski is the Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at San Francisco University High School.
“I am excited to dive in and immerse myself in all aspects of school life as best I can,” Mieszczanski said. “Once I can better understand the school and articulate its narrative in my own words, I’m looking forward to working with our team to share that with anyone willing to listen.”
Commons said he is excited to welcome Mieszczanski into the school community.
“He has done really good work up at University High School in San Francisco, which is a school that is similar to ours in a number of ways academically [and] in terms of its prominence in the city of San Francisco,” Commons said. “I am excited to work with him and have him lead us in some new directions.”
A selection committee of teachers and administrators chose Mieszczanski. During the selection process, Mieszczanski met with teachers and seniors on Prefect Council.
“I think that he was the ‘complete package’ if you will,” Middle School Dean Department Head and selection committee member Kate Benton said. “What we liked about [Mieszczanski] were many of the things that Commons mentioned in his letter: his experience with private school admissions, his educational background [and] his ability to connect with all different kinds of constituencies: students, faculty [and] parents.”
Mieszczanski said he is looking forward to assuming the position and implementing his ideas for extending the school’s influence.
“I’m excited to help shape what the future of the school will look and feel like for our kids, our faculty, and our families, and what our standing will represent in the Los Angeles community, and in the national educational dialogue,” Mieszczanski said.
