Teneice Stegall joined the Upper School as a dean, replacing Maude Bond, who departed after four years at the school.

Previously, Stegall served as the Associate Director of College Counseling at Lake Forest Academy in Illinois. Stegall also acted as a dorm parent, a JV girls soccer coach and a member of the Multicultural Affairs and Athletics Advisory Committee. Before that, Stegall worked as the Associate Director of Admission and Coordinator of Multicultural Recruitment at Rhodes College, as well as an Admissions Evaluator at Vanderbilt University.

Stegall said she looks forward to experiencing everything that the school has to offer and hopes to be a source of change and improvement in the school community.

“I asked [students] what they would change about [Harvard-Westlake] ,” Stegall said. “This was a difficult question because, for many, the good things outweigh the challenges. However, in addition to sharing in the joys of [Harvard-Westlake], I hope to be someone students trust to help them address challenges as well.”

As Stegall enters the new school year, she said she feels nervous about moving to a new city in the middle of a pandemic but thought the school community helped make the shift smooth for her.

“Admittedly, I was nervous about beginning a new position at a new school in a new city during a global pandemic, while deciphering my personal role in recent movements to combat racial injustice,” Stegall said. “However, my communication with the upper school dean team, administrators and the Human Resources Office made the transition to [Harvard-Westlake] and L.A. seamless. Additionally, recent virtual meetings with students, parents, faculty and staff have made the adjustment even more positive by demonstrating a level of intellectual curiosity, spirit of kindness and commitment to address injustice that I hope will be hallmarks of my [Harvard-Westlake] experience.”