Ms. Brown Named Next Dean of Students

ALBERT YUK/DEERFIELD SCROLL

After seven years at Deerfield Academy, Health Teacher and Ninth Grade Dean Heather Brown will succeed the current Dean of Students Mr. Bicknell as the new Dean of Students starting in the 2026-27 school year. Her journey to education was, as she described it, “a little less direct.” 

Though she entered college planning to pursue medicine and women’s health, her move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, shifted her career choice. There, she enrolled in a graduate program focused on place-based and experiential education, where she “lived, learned, and led trips” in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Teaching science outdoors and building close relationships with students helped her realize that she wanted to stay in education. After later leading sailboat-based leadership programs in the Caribbean, she said that she “never really looked back.”

Ms. Brown arrived at Deerfield as a Global Studies, Sustainability, and Service Fellow in the Center for Service and Global Citizenship, supporting student projects, travel programs, and community service initiatives. Over time, what began as a one-year position became a long-term commitment; each year felt like a “recommitment” because she was “super passionate” about the work and community. In the fall of 2021, she became interim ninth-grade dean before transitioning full-time into the Student Life Office.

As ninth-grade dean, her primary responsibility was “thinking about the well-being of ninth graders.” She describes the heart of her work as supporting students through important changes in their lives and “being a part of that process.” More than anything, she sees herself as “a cheerleader for students” – someone who helps them recognize and develop their potential.

Ms. Brown also navigated significant institutional challenges. Reflecting on March 2020, she remembers the uncertainty as "exhilarating and challenging and heartbreaking.” Yet, the school’s reopening reinforced for her “how special this place is” and the resilience of its community.

Looking ahead, Ms. Brown is excited to “zoom out and think about all four grades” in order to take a “10,000-foot view” of the student experience. While transitions can be “incredibly bittersweet,” she is energized by the opportunity to lead the Student Life team and shape the broader Deerfield experience.