Ravenscroft is thrilled to announce that Sarah Sims has been named Assistant Head of School for Community, Culture, and Belonging, beginning July 1, 2026.

For the last year, Sims has been serving in this capacity on an interim basis while also fulfilling her role as the Assistant Head of Lower School for Student Life. Her transition into this full-time, school-wide leadership role marks a significant step in the school’s commitment to fostering a PreK-12 environment where all students, employees, and families feel a deep sense of connection and value.

“Sarah has been an invaluable asset as a member of the Lower School Leadership Team,” said Head of School Derrick Willard. “She has worked closely with Head of Lower School Jen Baccus to strengthen a culture where our youngest students and their families feel supported and connected. We are fortunate that she will continue this work in an expanded capacity that benefits all of Ravenscroft’s students, families and faculty members.”

Sims brings a wealth of experience and a visionary approach to this role. While at Colorado Academy, she served as the Director of Culture and Community, where she developed a five-year strategic plan and successfully increased student body racial diversity from 19% to 33%. She facilitated PreK-12 curriculum reviews using culturally responsive frameworks and spearheaded project-based learning initiatives at both Breakthrough Miami and Miami Country Day School.

Sims holds a Master of Arts in Education from the University of California at Berkeley, where her thesis focused on the parental perspectives of the overdiscipline of African American boys. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science from The Ohio State University. Sims also holds specialized training and certifications in project-based learning, the NAIS School Leadership Institute, and Orton-Gillingham training.

While at Ravenscroft, Sims has strengthened the connection between the school’s Global Education program, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) programming, Dialogic Classroom, and Lead from Here. In her new role, she will continue to focus on these programs and how they benefit the student experience and strengthen the Ravenscroft community as a whole.

“Ravenscroft has been committed to teaching the Lead From Here, Lead With Others competencies for over a decade; culturally inclusive, communicative, collaborative, empathetic, and ethical," said Willard. "I am excited to see how Sarah’s leadership helps us better teach these Lead From Here competencies. Sarah’s work across these program areas is critical to our mission of preparing our students to thrive in a complex and interdependent world. I can see even greater possibilities for how Ravenscroft is connected to the larger Raleigh community under her leadership.”

Additionally, Sims is a frequent presenter at national conferences, including the NAIS People of Color Conference, and has been featured in publications for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) and EdSurge for her insights on neurodiversity and the well-being of educators of color.