Brookline, MA - With a commitment to delivering excellence at the highest level for our athletic teams, individual student-athletes, developing players, and an integrated PreK-Class 12 Athletics curriculum, Dexter Southfield is adding talent and staff to the Athletics Department. This fall, we embarked on a nationwide search for a leader to champion the next phase of growth for our Athletics program. I am pleased to announce that in late April, Paul Pearl will join Dexter Southfield as Director of Athletics. Paul brings extensive coaching, teaching, and administrative expertise at the independent school and collegiate levels, as well as a deep love of Dexter Southfield as a parent of graduate Bobby Pearl ’19.
In expressing his interest in the role, Paul shared, “I know firsthand the transformative power of a Dexter Southfield education and all it entails for its students. Bobby soared academically and athletically during his four years in the upper school. He was taught and mentored by tremendous teachers and coaches and was challenged and provided opportunities to be better every day. He was prepared when he entered Bowdoin College and excelled there, thanks to his Dexter Southfield experience. The age group Dexter Southfield serves is a magical time in children’s lives to engage in athletics. The character development, teamwork, and life lessons learned are profound, and I would be thrilled to be part of enhancing that experience for Dexter Southfield’s boys and girls.” Throughout the search process, Paul’s experience was evident; his appreciation for our community and culture solidified him as the ideal candidate.
Paul has held hockey coaching positions at the Division I and Division III collegiate levels, serving as Head Coach at College of the Holy Cross for 19 years, and as Associate Coach at both Harvard University and Boston University. He has developed programs and players at every level and has stewarded the admissions, recruitment, and yield processes for student athletes at each institution. He is currently Head Coach of the boys’ hockey team at Cushing Academy where he also serves as an assistant coach of baseball and a key member of the school’s advancement team. Additionally, he is the Director of Player Development for Massachusetts Hockey, responsible for hiring and managing all evaluators and coaches for the program. He is a former classroom teacher and brings that passion for education and mentorship as a “coach of coaches.” Paul earned his undergraduate degree in English from College of the Holy Cross and his MBA in finance and marketing from the University of Connecticut.
Current Athletics Director Brian McColgan has expressed his desire to return to coaching and more daily interactions with students and teams. This winter, Brian rejoined the Boys’ Varsity Hockey team as Assistant Coach, and I have asked him to continue his fine work and dedication to our Athletics program as Director of Athletic Operations, a role that will oversee the critical and considerable operational needs associated with running a top athletics program.
Please join me in welcoming Paul back to the Dexter Southfield community in this new role and in recognizing Brian’s leadership as they work together to deliver the best for our students and our School.
