Elizabeth Cromwell Speers

Elizabeth “Bessie” Cromwell Speers joined Tower Hill as Head of School in July 2015, bringing nearly 25 years of experience in independent school education. She previously served as head of school at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut.

Speers formerly served as assistant head of school, dean of faculty, English teacher, and coach at Episcopal Academy near Philadelphia. Her prior positions include director of placement and strategic planning at Calvert School in Baltimore; director of the admission and financial aid, teacher and coach at The Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore; and associate director of admission, coach, and adviser at The Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut. She began her career working with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

A graduate of The Bryn Mawr School, Speers holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middlebury College and a Master of Liberal Arts degree from Johns Hopkins University. She received a Klingenstein Fellowship at Columbia University’s Teachers College in 2014 and has been active with various professional organizations including the Connecticut Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), The Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education (CSEE), The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS) and The Heads Network, of which she currently is serving as President. She serves on the board of Middlebury College and the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS). Speers is the tenth Head of School, and first woman to hold the position, in Tower Hill’s 95-year history.