![A portrait of Liz Agosto.]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1678819512/stmarksschool/lhzbclb22mipi7cknb21/Liz_Agosto_WebStory.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1678819512/stmarksschool/lhzbclb22mipi7cknb21/Liz_Agosto_WebStory.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1678819512/stmarksschool/lhzbclb22mipi7cknb21/Liz_Agosto_WebStory.png","width":800}])
Elizabeth (Liz) Agosto Appointed Dean of Students
Head of School John Warren ’74 recently announced that Elizabeth (Liz) Agosto will become the next St. Mark’s dean of students, taking on this role in early July 2023. “Ms. Agosto’s vision for a holistic approach to educating young people, including an emphasis on wellness; her excellent listening skills, including seeing the full complexity of topics; and her thoughtful consideration of the unique rewards, along with the unique challenges of boarding school education, made her candidacy stand out among a very strong pool of applicants,” Mr. Warren said.
“Ms. Agosto comes to us with extensive impressive leadership experience in work with students,” he continued. Most recently Ms. Agosto served as dean of students and chief student affairs officer at Amherst College, starting in 2019. In this position, Ms. Agosto served as a member of the college’s senior leadership team, overseeing 15 departments and more than 90 staff members responsible for the well-being and residential experience of 2,000 undergraduate students. Before Amherst, Ms. Agosto served in a variety of student services roles for 12 years at Dartmouth College, including senior associate dean for student affairs. In this role, Ms. Agosto oversaw Dartmouth’s wellness program, equity and inclusion, religious and spiritual life, and orientation.
Moving to secondary school leadership work is, in Ms. Agosto’s eyes, a natural evolution for her career and something she has been contemplating for a number of years. As Ms. Agosto wrote in the cover letter of her application, she relishes the prospect of leading at the secondary school level. At St. Mark’s, Ms. Agosto notes, she will have a distinctive opportunity to contribute to “developing students’ character, sense of self, skills for managing change and ambiguity and fostering their creative thinking,” thus preparing students to thrive in college and beyond.
Ms. Agosto, as she mentioned in reflective comments to Mr. Warren, will be joining a very impressive team in the Dean’s Office and leading houses. This team, Mr. Warren noted, “puts students first and is forward looking in its approach to topics like wellness, student leadership, residential life, discipline, and belonging, and approaches these and other topics with a holistic education lens.” Ms. Agosto will also, in Mr. Warren’s words, “be building on the expert dedicated leadership of David Vachris, who since 2010 has worked tirelessly to make these parts of our educational program a greater and greater strength for our School.” Mr. Vachris will be taking on a new role as senior leadership gifts officer in the St. Mark's Advancement Office beginning this summer.
We look forward to welcoming Ms. Agosto to the St. Mark’s community when she joins us this summer.
“Ms. Agosto comes to us with extensive impressive leadership experience in work with students,” he continued. Most recently Ms. Agosto served as dean of students and chief student affairs officer at Amherst College, starting in 2019. In this position, Ms. Agosto served as a member of the college’s senior leadership team, overseeing 15 departments and more than 90 staff members responsible for the well-being and residential experience of 2,000 undergraduate students. Before Amherst, Ms. Agosto served in a variety of student services roles for 12 years at Dartmouth College, including senior associate dean for student affairs. In this role, Ms. Agosto oversaw Dartmouth’s wellness program, equity and inclusion, religious and spiritual life, and orientation.
Moving to secondary school leadership work is, in Ms. Agosto’s eyes, a natural evolution for her career and something she has been contemplating for a number of years. As Ms. Agosto wrote in the cover letter of her application, she relishes the prospect of leading at the secondary school level. At St. Mark’s, Ms. Agosto notes, she will have a distinctive opportunity to contribute to “developing students’ character, sense of self, skills for managing change and ambiguity and fostering their creative thinking,” thus preparing students to thrive in college and beyond.
Ms. Agosto, as she mentioned in reflective comments to Mr. Warren, will be joining a very impressive team in the Dean’s Office and leading houses. This team, Mr. Warren noted, “puts students first and is forward looking in its approach to topics like wellness, student leadership, residential life, discipline, and belonging, and approaches these and other topics with a holistic education lens.” Ms. Agosto will also, in Mr. Warren’s words, “be building on the expert dedicated leadership of David Vachris, who since 2010 has worked tirelessly to make these parts of our educational program a greater and greater strength for our School.” Mr. Vachris will be taking on a new role as senior leadership gifts officer in the St. Mark's Advancement Office beginning this summer.
We look forward to welcoming Ms. Agosto to the St. Mark’s community when she joins us this summer.