Angela Yang-Handy Named Assistant Head of School

Yang-Handy comes to KUA from Hebron Academy, an independent day and boarding school in Maine, where she has served as Assistant Head of School since 2022.

 

“Angela distinguished herself amongst our incredibly talented group of finalists, as a leader who, as one colleague shared, seems to ‘simultaneously lead from the heart and the head.’  She has a passion for the many advantages and opportunities that a boarding-school education provides, balanced with broad experiences at the collegiate level and the private sector,” said Head of School Tyler Lewis. 

 

Yang-Handy will bring more than 25 years of educational experience and leadership to KUA’s administrative team and oversee the Academy’s program and internal operations, including the areas of academics, athletics, health and wellness, and student life.

 

“Angela’s approach to leadership is focused on supporting, empowering, and building the capacity of those around her, which aligns perfectly with our approach at KUA,” said Lewis. “She joins an extremely high-functioning team with the lived experience of being an international boarding student, the compassion to understand that relationships are foundational to all our work, and the analytical sense for the value of research-informed educational practices.”

 

Yang-Handy has worked across the education sector in the U.S. and abroad, serving in teaching and administrative leadership roles at independent schools, higher-education institutions, and in after-school, adult, workforce, and community-based education. Prior to Hebron, she held numerous roles at Northfield Mount-Hermon, most recently as the Dean of Experiential Learning & Institutional Research.

 

Throughout her career she has been active in educational organizations including The Association of Boarding Schools, the National Association of Independent Schools, the Association of Independent Schools in New England, NAFSA Association of International Educators, Hilltop Montessori School, College Consortium for International Studies, and the Fulbright Teacher & Administrator Exchange Program.

 

"From the very first moment that I stepped foot on campus, I witnessed ‘belonging’ at work – students bore bright smiles as they talked and walked with one another; teachers and students seemed to engage in sincere, focused conversations; and adult colleagues were collegial as they shared nuanced and even opposing opinions during discussions," said Yang-Handy. "To me, these are all signals of a thriving school community, and I am thrilled to be joining such a vibrant, compassionate, and forward-thinking community."

 

Yang-Handy will replace Tom Kardel, who retires at the end of the 2023-2024 academic year following 19 years of service to the Academy as a Spanish Teacher, Academic Dean, and for the past two years, Assistant Head of School. “Tom’s leadership, institutional knowledge and forged relationships with students, faculty, and staff over his many years of service to KUA will be foundational to an extremely smooth transition,” said Lewis.

 

Yang-Handy will be joined on The Hilltop by her husband Dan and daughter Iris. Her daughter Hazel is a first-year student at Bates College.