The AMSA Board of Trustees, in a special session, voted Tuesday night to bring in Dr. Joseph McCleary to be the school’s permanent executive director. He will take over for interim ED Dr. Mary Ann DeMello, who will finish the school year.

Dr. DeMello, who took over when John Brucato was removed as ED in July, and Dr. McCleary were the finalists for the post after a nationwide search. It took the BoT a little more than an hour to reach a final decision Tuesday. Members could not reach a decision in a meeting last week.

In the end, eight members of the BoT voted for Dr. McCleary—who has served as the founding executive director of the Lowell Collegiate Charter School since 2013—when a formal vote was called and two members abstained. The two who abstained voted for Dr. DeMello in a straw poll earlier in the meeting.

BoT members commented throughout their discussion that they would be happy with either as executive director. It was Dr. McCleary’s experience, however, that seemed to carry the most weight.

“His experience with previous charter schools makes him an excellent candidate for the position,” BoT member Chris O’Keefe said. “That experience is vital to upholding AMSA’s charter.”

It is expected that Dr. DeMello will assist Dr. McCleary in the transition over the next few months, before he assumes control over the summer break.

Teachers, support staff, and parents filled the Upper School cafeteria to watch the decision unfold. BoT members debated the pros and cons of each candidate. Much of the discussion centered on who would best fulfill the school’s mission in the years ahead.

Dr. DeMello, it was noted, has no experience in charter schools outside of her brief tenure at AMSA. In contrast, Dr. McCleary has spent much of his career in charter school settings.

A prime concern was the short-term risk that would arise with a new ED. With Dr. DeMello, the school community largely knew what it was getting.

“There has been good forward progress under the current ED,” BoT chair Craig Holbrook said. “Some of this might be undone with a leadership change.”

On the other hand, no one was completely sure how Dr. DeMello would do in a full-time ED role because she has performed that job and simultaneously served as principal since August.

“The lack of having a principal hinders her ability as an executive director,” BoT member Scott E. Ladner said. “To a point it was her own fault for not hiring a principal, but it doesn’t change the fact she was limited in her abilities. […] No matter who we get, it is a high, high, high priority to get a principal in here soon. After this decision, it should be a number one priority.”

The BoT faced a difficult task. Members had to weigh their feelings against the feedback from school faculty and staff, as well as the feedback from parents. Over the past week, various members received e-mail in support of both candidates.

As for the feeling among teachers, faculty representative Jessica Bowen said that there was no consensus pick.

“Some teachers were nearly in tears at the thought of Dr. DeMello leaving,” Mrs. Bowen said. “Others have come and told me this is not where we need to be. Certainly there is not a unified voice from the faculty on this issue.”

What was evident throughout the discussion was how strong both candidates were. It took a long time for any sort of argument to arise. All members of the BoT stated how lucky AMSA was to have two strong candidates, either of whom could guide AMSA into the future.