December 16, 2015
Dear West Nottingham Community,
The Board of Trustees is excited to announce that Dr. Thomas J. Banks is its unanimous choice to be West
Nottingham Academy’s next Head of School. Tom currently serves as Assistant Head of Harrisburg Academy (PA).
Following an extensive national search, his experience, institutional commitment, philosophical fit, and eagerness to
lead the West Nottingham Academy community set him apart from the other applicants. Tom has served just two
school communities in the last 27 years, and has an exemplary record of professional success.
During his 15 years at Harrisburg Academy, Tom held a succession of administrative positions, including Assistant
Head of School, Head of Upper School, Head of Middle School, and Coordinator of Advanced Placement and
International Baccalaureate programs. He has developed crucial strategies for student retention, led strategic planning
initiatives, served on the admissions committee, worked directly with the Board of Trustees, and undertaken
significant community outreach efforts -- including a leadership position in the local Rotary Club. In his dozen years
at The Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA, Tom rose from the ranks as a mathematics teacher and was ultimately
named Assistant Principal of the 9-12 boarding school.
We learned from more than a dozen references that Tom has struck a consistent chord of engagement, respect, and
excellence in all of his endeavors. He is a student-centered educator who is a champion of faculty and the Socratic
method. Colleagues, supervisors, and faculty refer to him as “firm-but-fair,” “a good communicator,” and a
“collaborator” who “thinks of students first.” References speak of a “born leader” who “motivates and extracts the
best from his faculty” and “respects everyone as a colleague.” Our on-campus interviewers noticed many of these
traits and responded enthusiastically to his candidacy. He struck our students as a particularly “good fit.”
We are pleased that Tom and his family are making the move downstream to our area of the river and the Chesapeake
Bay. Born in Indianapolis, Tom spent a portion of his childhood in Detroit before moving to Selinsgrove,
Pennsylvania. He graduated from Selinsgrove Area High School, earned his Bachelor of Science in Business
Marketing at Susquehanna University, Master of Education from Temple University, and Ph.D. in Education
Administration and Human Development from Marywood University in Scranton.
Tom is married to Celeste Banks, a pulmonary and critical care Physician Assistant. The couple has two college-age
children, Hannah and Sam. We look forward to introducing the Banks family to the West Nottingham Academy
community and getting to know them in the months ahead.
Most of all, we look forward to seeing Tom lead West Nottingham Academy as it meets its strategic needs and
challenges. We are confident that together we will envision and embark upon the Academy’s next chapter, its
brightest yet. With Tom Banks at the helm, we feel uniquely positioned to do so.
Sincerely,
Paul McIntyre ‘92
President, Board of Trustees