Matt Horvat to Step Down Following the 2022-23 School Year

The Overlake School’s Head, Matt Horvat announced Wednesday that the 2022-23 school year will be his last at Overlake. On July 1, 2023, Horvat will become the Head of School at The American School in London.

“Every day since I started here in 2012, I have felt deeply how fortunate I have been to work at Overlake,” explains Horvat. “This is an extraordinary community, one that welcomed and supported me and my family, and one that is filled with generosity and good will, high expectations and healthy human relationships.”

Horvat has been Overlake’s Head of School for 11 years, bringing fresh ideas to Overlake’s academic program and instilling a culture of continual learning for the adults and students in the community.

“As a board, we have always known that Matt’s talents were bound to be appreciated elsewhere. We are fully prepared for this transition, and indeed, we see this change as a tremendous opportunity for Overlake to build on the incredible foundation already in place,” says Maurice Carson, President of the Board of Trustees.  

The Board of Trustees will convene a search committee to find the next Head of School.

The full announcement letters by Head of School Matt Horvat and Board Chair Maurice Carson are copied below:

Dear Overlake Community,

I remember well my first visit to Overlake twelve years ago. What struck me on that visit: how engaged the students were, how connected the faculty were to the students, and how beautiful the campus was. While it happened to be raining that day, the rain added to the beauty and explained the deep green landscape.

For more than ten years, I have walked down a beautiful, wooded path to this amazing school. The peacefulness of that walk and the grandeur of the trees still move me, yet after 10+ years at Overlake the time seems right for change. I write to let you know that this year will be my last at Overlake. I was recently offered and have accepted the position of Head of School at the American School in London, where I will begin July 1, 2023. While I believe that stability and consistency matter immensely, change is critical, too, and especially for organizational health.

Every day since I started here in 2012, I have felt deeply how fortunate I have been to work at Overlake. This is an extraordinary community, one that welcomed and supported me and my family, and one that is filled with generosity and good will, high expectations and healthy human relationships. 

Most critically, we all share and embrace our mission, which at its core is to serve students – students who are terrifically smart, insightful, empathetic, hardworking, and funny. They consistently impress me with their dedication to the school, their ambitious learning, and the care they have for each other. Overlake is a school where people balance the mind and the heart. Further, Overlake sticks with people. Every time I meet alums, I gather more anecdotes of how invaluable Overlake was for them and how enduring their experiences at Overlake have been. 

At Overlake, I have had the incredible good fortune to work side by side with a dedicated and collaborative faculty and staff. They are mission driven and care deeply about students. We’ve had many spirited discussions about all things Overlake, yet always sitting at the foundation of these discussions is our commitment to students. Many faculty and staff taught and supported my two sons, and Susan and I will always be grateful for the learning they enabled and the patience they showed to two adolescent boys, trying to be kids while going to school with their dad. 

I have also been supported by an equally devoted and humane administrative team, who have been invaluable and collaborative partners. They tackle a diverse and always evolving set of responsibilities, they make difficult decisions, they often hear more about what isn’t working than what is, yet they believe in the school, and they care deeply for our students. 

I have been the beneficiary of superlative board members, past and present, who have tirelessly supported each other and me. To a person, they have made hard and judicious decisions to ensure that Overlake has the resources and vision for not only the school’s present health but also its long-term well-being and success. 

Overlake families have, for 55 years, trusted us with their precious children. I am often moved by their love and care for their children, their presence at and enthusiasm for events, big and small, and for the priority they place on their children’s education. I have so much gratitude for our families for believing in us and supporting the school. 

There are many months left in the school year and good work to do before the milestone moments that the end of the school year brings. I am eager to thank each of you in person for your support of me and, most especially, the school, one of the finest. To put it simply: Overlake is a place where the positive spirit of the community and the exuberance of our students are felt and seen at the moment one walks on to this campus. 

While I will miss so much about the Overlake community, I will still have plenty of rain to remind me of my years in the Pacific Northwest. Interestingly, the American School in London’s mascot is the eagle, which I intend to embrace fully; however, I am hopeful that I can be part of what I often underscore with alums: “once an Owl, always an Owl.” 

Warmly,

Matt

Dear Overlake Community,

As you have learned from his letter to the school community, this year will be Matt Horvat’s final year as Head of School at Overlake. When Matt informed the Board of Trustees recently that he was under consideration to lead The American School in London, we realized immediately what an incredible opportunity this was for Matt and his family.

Working alongside a strong administrative team, talented faculty and staff, supportive families, engaged alums, and a dedicated Board of Trustees, Matt has helped build The Overlake School into one of the top independent schools in the nation.

As a board, we have always known that Matt’s talents were bound to be appreciated elsewhere. We are fully prepared for this transition, and indeed, we see this change as a tremendous opportunity for Overlake to build on the incredible foundation already in place. 

That foundation includes:

• Continued interest in admission applications to Overlake from strong candidates eager to learn and experience our program;
• Ongoing strong college placements to a diverse and vast list of colleges and universities where our Owls continue to thrive;
• Ongoing improvements to the academic program;
• A commitment to growing our financial aid endowment to allow even more students the chance to experience an Overlake education;
• A commitment to building the Welcome & Discovery Center;
• A solid financial outlook, including continued balanced budgets and strong reserves; and
• A vibrant and supportive school community that is celebrating the school’s 55th anniversary.

Quite simply, this is not the same school Matt Horvat joined in 2011. Under Matt’s leadership and vision, Overlake has grown in stature and ability to educate bright students from Seattle and the region.

Given that expected interest, we are ready to begin to find the right leader. The Board of Trustees will form a search committee that will include staff and faculty. We will involve a top national search firm and will soon be interviewing to see which one can best meet our needs.

While we are moving expeditiously, we are also moving intentionally. We remain committed to taking the time necessary to find the right person to take Overlake to the next level, and we will be asking all of our community stakeholders for input. Our search will be inclusive and transparent, and it will recognize that as we focus on the future, we will also need to draw on our strong foundation already in place with continued support of the school’s ongoing initiatives as outlined in the current strategic plan.

As always, Matt, the faculty and staff, and the Board of Trustees will need the strong support of this community as we continue on the school’s journey. We will keep this community updated, but for now please join me in congratulating Matt and his family and thanking them for their ongoing efforts on behalf of the school we love.

Sincerely,

Maurice Carson

Board Chair

Parent of Glyn (’22)