Head of School Paul Singer to Retire at End of School Year

Feb 26 2019

Head of School Paul Singer to Retire at End of School Year
Lower School Principal Ryan Masa Named as Successor

Paul Singer, Assets’ Head of School since 2008, will retire at the end of this school year, and Lower School Principal Ryan Masa has been selected to succeed him. Singer will remain as Emeritus Head of School through June 2020, lending his expertise to Phase Two of the school’s capital campaign as well as the long-term strategic planning initiative.

When Singer notified the Board of Trustees last year that he planned to retire in 2020, a search committee was formed to evaluate candidates from within the state and the Mainland. “We evaluated several extremely talented candidates,” said John Morton, Assets Board Chair, “and Masa stood apart as the candidate most qualified and most aligned with Assets’ vision and future. We are very fortunate to have extraordinary individuals within Assets.”

Singer’s retirement marks the end of a distinguished career as a gifted, progressive educator who has long championed meeting students where they are — academically, developmentally, socially, and emotionally. Before moving to Hawaii, he served over 25 years as the Head of School at The Country School in Los Angeles. “I never thought I’d leave Country School,” Singer said. “I even told the staff, I’ll be back. It’s just a free trip to Hawaii,” he said of his interview and site visit. “But at Assets, I found a school filled with people just like me — students who learn differently and see the world through many different lenses.”

Under Singer’s leadership, Assets acquired the land rights to the school’s campus near the airport and negotiated a merger with the Academy of the Pacific to acquire their Alewa Heights campus, which now houses the Assets High School. He launched the school’s first major capital campaign in decades, already resulting in a new K-4 Village and plans for subsequent efforts on both campuses. His commitment to meeting students where they are also resulted in new after- school and summer programs as well as outreach across the state, sharing Assets’ techniques and strategies with teachers from public and private schools.

Masa joined Assets as Lower School Principal in 2014 and will assume the Head of School post in August, 2019. He earned his BS in Education and BA in History from Miami of Ohio and his Masters in Mind, Brain Education from Harvard University. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be selected, and I’m excited to work with Paul in his Emeritus position,” Masa said. “What he’s accomplished here is extraordinary, and I look forward to building upon the strong foundation he’s created. We will continue to focus on reaching more students who learn differently to ensure they receive the educational experience they deserve.”

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Head of School Paul Singer to Retire at End of School Year

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