Today Punahou School’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Dr. Mike Latham ’86 as the School’s 17th president. Latham will join the School in the summer of 2019, upon the retirement of Dr. James Scott ’70, who has led Punahou since 1994. Latham will be the fourth president to lead the school since WWII.
“Punahou was fortunate to attract a highly qualified candidate pool from around the world, and the Board of Trustees believes that Mike exemplifies the qualities of strategic leadership, intellectual innovation and community building that will shape the next era of Punahou’s history,” noted Trustee Mark Fukunaga ’74, chair of the Presidential Search Committee.
Latham comes to Punahou from an accomplished academic career as an educator and teacher. He is currently serving as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College at Grinnell College in Iowa, an outstanding national liberal arts college widely known for its innovative, inquiry-led curriculum.
“Punahou’s mission, heritage and enduring sense of place in Hawai‘i are forces for distinctive excellence, and I greatly look forward to working to support all of Punahou’s faculty and students, from kindergarten through the Academy,” Latham explained.
Latham will complete the 2018 – 2019 academic year at Grinnell before returning to Hawai‘i with his wife, Jenn, and two daughters, Maile and Anya, to become Punahou’s next president on July 1, 2019.