Leon Hayward was appointed to the Avon Old Farms faculty in the summer of 2014. As the Dean of Enrollment, Mr. Hayward manages the admission office, works on strategic enrollment initiatives, travels representing the school at the local, national, and international level and assists the Director of Financial Aid in coordinating the financial aid budget. Mr. Hayward has spent his time working in boarding school admissions addressing issues of affordability, recruiting students from non-traditional boarding school backgrounds, and as a liaison between athletics and admission to streamline athletic recruitment.
A native of Seattle, Washington, Mr. Hayward attended Tabor Academy and matriculated to Northeastern University on an ice hockey scholarship. After graduating from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University with a concentration in Entrepreneurship, Mr. Hayward went on to a successful American Hockey League and East Coast Hockey League career, which included a Kelly Cup (ECHL) Championship in which Hayward was named the Kelly Cup Finals MVP. After coaching professionally, Mr. Hayward transitioned to work in boarding schools. During his time as an educator he has taught Math and Marketing courses to go along with working in student activities, residential life, and mentoring advisees. As a hockey coach, he has been both an assistant and head coach and coached football and lacrosse at multiple levels prior to coming to Avon Old Farms.
In the summer of 2014, Mr. Hayward completed his Master of Science in Leadership with a concentration in Nonprofit Management from Northeastern University. His capstone project, S.P.O.R.T (Social Physics, Optimism, Responsibility, Talent) focused on developing a leadership curriculum for boarding school students. This course will be offered during Avon Old Farms Intersession. in 2015, Mr. Hayward earned a Master’s Certificate in Leadership in Enrollment Management from the Rossier School of Education at USC.
Mr. Hayward lives on campus with his wife Jessica, two young sons Ellison and Harlan, and a Portuguese Water Dog named Angus
.