Head of School Dr. Ivory D. Hills

Dr. Ivory D. Hills began his tenure as St. Mark’s head of school on July 1, 2024. His appointment by the St. Mark’s Board of Trustees was announced on July 31, 2023, following an extensive nationwide search.

From 2011 to 2024, Dr. Hills served in various roles at Deerfield Academy—most recently dean of faculty and assistant head of school for strategy and planning—where he excelled as both a dedicated classroom teacher and an influential academic leader. In his role as dean of faculty and assistant head of school for strategy and planning, Dr. Hills oversaw a 140-member faculty and provided comprehensive support for academic, artistic, athletic, co-curricular, college advising, health and wellness, and residential programs. He fostered a culture of positivity among the faculty, emphasizing student-centered growth, and managed workload assignments, housing placements, leave replacements, and professional development requests. Additionally, he collaborated closely with the school's advancement office to support faculty and curriculum-centered fundraising initiatives.

Dr. Hills is a distinguished scientist, holding a B.S. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from MIT. Before his tenure at Deerfield, he served as a senior research chemist at Merck Research Laboratories, leading medicinal chemistry teams involved in drug development for Alzheimer’s disease, migraine, schizophrenia, and colorectal cancer.