Pete Kennedy

After 35 years as an educator and school leader, including 30 years in international schools, Pete joined Search Associates as a Senior Associate in July 2020. He graduated from university in 1984 and began his professional career at a New York City investment bank, but soon realized that teaching and working with young people were his true passions. Twelve schools and ten countries later, he remains delighted with that decision. Having worked in schools ranging from large established nonprofits to proprietary startups, he draws on that breadth to help educators think through what the right fit actually looks like for them, whether they are heading abroad for the first time or weighing their next move after years overseas.

Pete holds a BA in mathematics from the State University of New York and an MA in educational leadership from Columbia University. He began his educational career as a mathematics teacher at Port Jefferson High School in New York. While representing the United States as a Fulbright Scholar in the Philippines, he discovered the world of international education. Tenures at The American School in Japan, Jakarta Intercultural School, Khartoum American School, and the International School of Kuala Lumpur soon followed, before he moved into leadership. Pete served as a secondary school principal at Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina; The American School in Rio de Janeiro; Marymount Rome; and the United Nations International School Hanoi. At the director level, he was Superintendent of Schools for TH Education Group, a large school network in Vietnam.

Although he has stepped away from day-to-day school administration, Pete remains deeply connected to education. He serves as a school board member, mentors aspiring educational leaders, and is working on an initiative to develop a school for underserved children.

Pete grew up on the East End of Long Island and remains an avid sailor at heart. He spends his summers in Sag Harbor, New York, living aboard his beloved sloop, Prosecco, a nod to his cherished years in Italy. The rest of the year he keeps up an international life, splitting his time between Italy, Australia, and Japan.