Dean of Students Roz Landy will be taking a new position going into her 50th year working at the school, which was announced in an email sent to the JDS community on Thursday, April 30. While Roz’s new title has not yet been announced, she will start working part-time with the development team, with a focus on connecting with JDS alumni.
In addition to alumni relations, Roz will be working in the Health and Wellness Center and will be acting as a resource for the incoming head of school, Jonathan Levy, who is joining JDS during a time of immense leadership change. After holding a variety of positions at the school over the years, Roz will miss working directly with students, which is what she loves about being an education professional.
“Will I miss being a counselor? Absolutely,” Roz said. “I will miss working with high school students. Will I miss being part of the guidance office? Yes, of course; the camaraderie I have shared with my colleagues has been a great gift. But it’s also time. Fifty years is a long time in one job. I turned 80 years old this year, and it’s time to cut back a little bit and relax, travel, and have more time for family and fun. I am also looking forward to continuing my work at JDS, moving from current students to alumni; it’s an exciting new chapter.”
Like many graduates, Associate Director of Alumni Relations Maya Arber considers Roz an important person in her life, spanning from her time in high school to today. Next year, Arber will be working closely with Roz as she steps into her new role.
“I’m on the development team, and so part of my job is also fundraising, and we’re going to be utilizing Mrs. Landy as the connector,” Arber said. “For 50 years, she’s been here around students. She is a piece of home for many alumni.”
Working at JDS runs in the Landy family, as both Roz and her grandson, Assistant Athletic Director Matthew Landy, work here. Matthew feels that working with Roz has only deepened their bond and is proud to work alongside someone who has had such a remarkable impact on the community.
“It’s been a really cool experience being able to work with her,” Matthew said. “And I know a lot of students always find it funny that I also work at the same place as my grandma, but I’m just really proud of her. She’s the reason why I went here, why my siblings went here and why I fell in love with this place and wanted to work here.”
Roz will not be working with students directly next school year, which was a large part of her many past roles at JDS, from being a teacher, to a guidance counselor to a college counselor. However, her door will continue to be open to students.
“[Roz] connects people back to the space, even many years after their time is done, and so allowing her to go and reconnect with alumni no matter where they live in this country is going to be a really powerful thing to build our community up and bring alumni back to the school,” Arber said.
