Director Center Neurodivergence

Director of Neurodivergence and Learning Optimization Position Overview

Since 1973, Dunn School has been a pioneer in supporting bright, college-bound students with learning differences within a rigorous college-preparatory environment. Building on this legacy, Dunn is launching the Dunn Neurodivergence Center as a hub for innovation, support, research, and school wide capacity building in neurodivergent education, executive functioning, learning optimization, and student flourishing across grades 6–12.

Dunn School seeks an entrepreneurial, visionary, deeply collaborative educational leader to serve as the Director of Neurodivergence and Learning Optimization. The Director will inherit a strong foundation in individualized and small group learning support and will be charged with strengthening, integrating, and elevating that work into a coherent, evidence-based, future-oriented model that supports students across academic, residential, social-emotional, and executive functioning domains.

This leader will help Dunn capitalize on its distinctive strengths: a low-stigma, student-centered culture; a day and boarding environment that allows support to extend across the full student experience; a flexible and entrepreneurial school identity; and meaningful market-facing potential with families, peer schools, professional organizations, advancement partners, and the broader independent school community.

Reporting to the Associate Head of School, the Director will serve as a senior institutional leader responsible for supporting students, families, faculty, and staff; advancing professional learning; partnering with admissions and advancement; demonstrating student growth and program value through data; and helping Dunn reclaim and expand its place as a thought leader in neurodivergent education.

Dunn School is a community centered on educating the whole student. Its curriculum, co-curricular programs, advisory systems, evaluative practices, and pedagogy are grounded in the belief that students thrive when they are known, challenged, supported, and empowered. Founded in 1957, Dunn carries forward an entrepreneurial spirit reflected in its motto, Ne Tentes Aut Perfice, translated as “attempt not, but achieve.” Dunn is also a Round Square School dedicated to character development through the IDEALS in practice:
Internationalism, Democracy, Environmentalism, Adventure, Leadership, and Service.

Located in Los Olivos, California, in the Santa Ynez Valley near the Pacific Ocean, Dunn offers students and professional community members a distinctive setting for rigorous academics, outdoor learning, relationship-building, and whole-student growth.

• Lead the Dunn Neurodivergence Center and articulate a coherent, research-informed philosophy of neurodivergent education that reflects Dunn’s mission, whole-student approach, and commitment to strengths-based learning.
• Develop and implement a long-term strategic vision for neurodivergence support across grades 6–12, preserving what works in Dunn’s current model while building stronger systems, clearer roles, and more integrated support.
• Position Dunn as a national leader in neurodivergent education through conferences, publications, partnerships, admissions events, advancement storytelling, open houses, and professional networks.
• Help define and communicate the public message of the Center in ways that are accurate, compelling, family-facing, and affirming rather than stigmatizing for students.
• Stay current on emerging research, best practices, assistive technologies, artificial intelligence, and innovations in neurodivergent education.

• Oversee…