Motivated by a desire to serve others, Joseph Seivold began his career as a history teacher for two years at Graham-Eckes Palm Beach Academy in Florida and then spent the next 15 years as a sixth-grade social studies teacher at Durham Academy in North Carolina.
Desiring to stretch himself further and move into an administrative role, for the following seven years he was the middle division director at the Blake School in Minneapolis, which required leaning away from working directly with students and, instead, collaborating more with adults, developing expertise in making curriculum decisions, managing 45 faculty/staff members and 300 students, overseeing a large budget, fundraising, working with parents, and more.
In 2011, Seivold ascended to the highest role possible at an independent school, headmaster at Berkeley, and since then, he has transformed the school into what it is today: a nationally regarded, top-tier independent day school. Berkeley Preparatory School is a coed, independent, Episcopal day school in Tampa, Florida, that educates students in pre-k through twelfth grade.
Seivolds job is multifaceted, being the leader of a school that generates roughly $45 million in revenue, has 280 full-time employees, and enrolls more than 1,400 students. He works closely with the board of trustees and supervises a 12-person administrative team to oversee the direction of all three divisions, admissions, athletics, fundraising, finances, facilities, communications, technology, spiritual life, and strategic initiatives.
When you step onto campus, you will see Joseph W. Seivolds vision in actionthe rich and broad curriculum, the rigor and community engagement, the passion and commitment, optimism and positive energy, respect, kindness, and desire for excellence, said his staff. Youll witness copious examples that our core valuesdiscipline, diligence, and integrityring as true throughout our school culture today as they did in 1960, and youll notice immediately what makes us proudest: that Berkeley puts people in the world who make a positive difference.
Guided by an ambitious school master plan aimed to enhance the campus infrastructure and grow the endowment, Seivold played a key role in fundraising during two capital campaigns, securing $65 million in the Above & Beyond campaign and nearly $30 million during the Berkeley Now, Berkeley Forever effort. Since Seivold became headmaster, the schools total applications have increased by 84%, and the schools attrition has decreased by 48%.
Seivold said he is not a complacent leader who sits still and tolerates the status quo. Strong leadership is about innovation and pushing ourselves to reach even higher, he said.
