Baylor School Headmaster Scott Wilson announced Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the 2020-21 school year.
This news was followed by an announcement from Ryan Crimmins, Baylor’s chairman of the board of trustees, that Chris Angel has been named the school’s tenth headmaster effective July 1, 2021. Angel is a 1989 graduate of Baylor School and currently serves as headmaster of Hammond School, a pre-K through grade 12 independent school in Columbia, S.C.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome one of our own back home to Baylor,” said Mr.
Crimmins. “Chris has 25 years of impressive experience and earned respect from within the independent school community, and it all began at Baylor. He knows our community and our culture, and will bring with him a high level of enthusiasm and energy. He and Peggy, along with their daughters, will be a welcome addition to our school family. We look forward to working with Chris as we help write Baylor’s next chapter.”
The connection between Hammond School and Baylor is not a new one. Former Baylor Headmaster Dr. Herb Barks Jr., a 1951 Baylor graduate also served as headmaster at Hammond from 1989-2006, and Wilson served in various roles at Hammond from 1990-97 including upper school head, director of admission and financial aid, history instructor, and boys varsity basketball coach.
“I’m excited to rejoin a community that holds such a special place in my heart,” said Mr. Angel. “I’m especially grateful for the opportunity to lead an institution in which I believe, and one that has had such a significant impact on my own life. I look forward to working with Scott Wilson to make this transition as seamless as possible.”
A graduate of the University of Georgia with a B.S. degree in biology, Mr. Angel also received his M.A. degree in private school leadership from Columbia University in New York City. He has served as headmaster at Hammond since 2009, where he previously held the position of head of upper school from 2002-2009. During his tenure, the school saw unprecedented growth through the expansion of unique academic offerings, experiential education opportunities, national recognition among secondary schools, and an expanded footprint to include state-of-the-art facilities and co-curricular programs. Under his leadership, the athletic department was named a three-time winner of South Carolina’s most prestigious athletic award, the arts developed an international repertoire, and community service offerings were expanded school-wide.
Mr. Wilson was appointed in 2009, becoming the ninth administrator to lead Baylor since its founding in 1893. He led the school through a strategic planning process as it marked its 125th year in 2018-19 and helped lead the most successful capital campaign in the school’s history, raising $53 million to fund $30 million in capital improvements and boosting the school’s endowment to $140 million.
He oversaw the completion numerous facility and campus improvements, including of the new 34,000 square foot Scotty Probasco Academic Center and the Von D. Oehmig Sports Performance Center, and major renovations of the Bullard Quadrangle, Guerry Dining Hall, Hedges Library, and three dormitory renovations.
He has also overseen curricular additions including the Civic Scholars Program, Global Scholars Program and an Advanced Science, Engineering, and Research Program that has gained national attention. In 2019, the athletic program was named the top program in the state and ranked third by MaxPreps nationally.
Mr. Wilson was the 2017 recipient of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association A.F. Bridges Award honoring an individual who displays high ideals of integrity and ethics and for examples of citizenship and sportsmanship
He served as president of Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) from 2016 - 2018, is a board member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and was a facilitator for the SAIS New Heads Institute in Atlanta for eight years.
“The board of trustees is grateful for the first-class manner in which Scott is managing this transition and it should come as no surprise that he has committed to making the next 15 months the best it can possibly be to prepare Baylor for his successor,” said Mr. Crimmins. “The board, alumni, students, parents, and faculty are grateful for his outstanding leadership and efforts to achieve many milestones during his tenure.”