Mr. Will Gilyard ’98 serves as the new Dean of Students.
At the beginning of the new school year, the Choate community welcomed a new yet familiar face into the Dean of Students’s office. Following Mr. Mike Velez ’00’s departure at the end of the 2022-2023 academic year, Mr. Will Gilyard ’98 has stepped into his new position as Dean of Students with positivity and enthusiasm.
Previously a Dean of Students for six years at The Kingswood Oxford School, a form dean for the Class of 2023, and the Associate for Alumni Engagement, Mr. Gilyard brings extensive experience to his role.
Mr. Gilyard is able to establish relationships that allow him to best support students. He does so through what he described as having an “open door policy, being a listener first to what the kids are saying, … and open communication and transparency.”
His dedication to preserving the best interests of the student body is unwavering, and he hopes to make the community “a safe one in which [the students] can thrive, stretch themselves, and be curious.”
The interview for the position followed an extensive process that included meetings with student leaders, the Judicial Committee Chair and Vice Chair, Student Council, Head Prefects, deans, senior officers, and the administrative team, Mr. Gilyard said.
Throughout the selection process, led by Head of Student and Academic Life Ms. Jenny Elliott, the selection committee posed various questions intended to help learn more about Mr. Gilyard and his goals as the Dean of Students.
Around the Deans’ Office, Mr. Gilyard’s passion for serving his community is clear. “He brings an enthusiasm that is contagious in this office. He’s always got a big smile on his face, and he’s always happy to see students,” Ms. Judy Senft, Assistant to the Dean of Students, said.
Similarly, Mr. Pat Dennehy, Associate Dean of Students, said Mr. Gilyard’s new style of leadership in the Deans’ Office has “reinvigorated our office in a lot of ways.”
Mr. Gilyard has already taken his first steps in making an impact on the School through taking “pride in where we are and the opportunities we have.” In addition, he maintained a focus to ensure that “kids are not overwhelmed by pressures.”
This year, he has overseen changes to the advising system and housing process as well as the expansion of leadership programming. He has also worked on new Student Council initiatives and the updated visitation policy.
“I have the utmost confidence in his leadership,” Mr. Dennehy said of Mr. Gilyard. “I think he’s going to be excellent.”
