Message from Dr. Rob Connor

Dear CSA Community,

As we celebrate the close of another remarkable year at CSA, I write with news that is bittersweet for me to share. After almost 17 years of service, I’ve shared with our Board of Trustees and Leadership Team that I will step down as Head of School this fall. That said, I am thrilled to let you know I will continue on with CSA as Chair of the Board, helping provide leadership with this beloved school in different, but also important, ways. 

In making this transition, I look back on my earliest experience with what has become such a wonderful institution. It started with a whiteboard in a small Princeton office, where Christina Seix, myself, and a handful of dedicated leaders planned with a great deal of urgency, inspiration, and care to create what has become the CSA we know today. We set out to build something more than a school: a community where children and families from Trenton could find belonging, safety, and a real path to a better future. I will be forever grateful to have built this community alongside so many of you.

As I shared with Trustees, and Senior Leadership Team, our accomplishments, the friendships, and the collective spirit of this community made this an incredibly difficult decision. Even so, I believe this is the right time to pursue new opportunities and to make room for new leaders to advance the mission. The Academy is in wonderful standing, and Su and I couldn’t be more grateful for the support, kindness, and partnership the CSA community has shown our family. This CSA Village also helped Su and me raise our two boys, Lekh and Rowan, who, because of the incredible role models here, understand the value of service to others and the beauty that comes from partnership in pursuit of ideals and values larger than ourselves. That is a gift we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

Looking ahead, I’ll take on two new roles. In the late fall, I’ll become President and CEO of the SEED Foundation, the nation's first and only network of public, college-preparatory boarding schools. In that role, I’ll work to extend what makes CSA successful to many more cities, ensuring that thousands more children gain access to the educational and community experiences we built here. And as I said, beginning this fall, I’ll also transition to the role of CSA Board Chair, serving as a link between our current school leadership, trustees, and the Academy's future as our current Chair Lindsay Dow continues to serve as a Trustee but no longer as Chair of the Board. In this role,  I will remain very deeply involved and invested in shaping the strategic vision of this community as we chart its next chapter.

New beginnings always feel a bit daunting, but I am genuinely inspired by how Lindsay has sustained the highest level of leadership, and our Trustees and Senior Leaders have rallied to support the Academy through this transition. Lindsay’s leadership and our team’s dedication have allowed Ms. Ivy Green to serve as Interim Head of School through the 2027–2028 school year. I couldn't imagine anyone better suited to carry this legacy forward than someone who embodies Trenton's culture, history, and our community's ideals with such pride and conviction. As you all know, Ivy is a gifted and courageous leader who will hold the role with the same poise, attention to detail, and steadfast commitment to our mission that she has shown since our opening in 2012. I am grateful for her willingness to step up in such a wonderful way.

Beginning in the fall of 2026, the Academy will also launch a national search for our next full-time Head of School. We’re excited to design a process that will engage the community in identifying a leader who will carry forward the Seix vision of a learning community that is so much more than a school. We will share more details this fall. In the meantime, we will host a handful of community learning sessions to share additional transitional details when we return from summer break. 

It has been the honor of my life to serve this community. Watching our Class of 2026 cross the graduation stage this spring, and our Classes of 2030 and 2034 celebrate their moving-up ceremonies, I was reminded of the full arc of the CSA experience, from our youngest learners taking their first steps forward to our eighth graders stepping out into the world. 

There is an African proverb I have always loved: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together - in community." For 17 years, that is what we’ve done together, as a community, and shoulder to shoulder with the Seix- Dow family. 

CSA’s success is a testament to the power of community and collaboration. It’s why I’m so proud of what we have accomplished. It’s also the work that Su and I will forever carry with us. 

Thank you for everything.

With gratitude and love,

Rob Connor, Ph.D.
Head of School

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR, LINDSAY DOW

Dear CSA Community,

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I write today to share important news that marks the end of one remarkable chapter and the beginning of another for Christina Seix Academy. After nearly seventeen years of extraordinary service, Dr. Rob Connor has informed the Board that he will step down as Head of School this fall to become President and CEO of the SEED Foundation. We are immensely grateful that Rob will remain an integral part of the Academy, stepping into my role as our new Chair of the Board of Trustees, ensuring that his wisdom, leadership, and unwavering commitment to our mission continue to guide CSA into its next chapter.

For many of us, it is difficult to imagine CSA without Rob at the helm. Long before there was even a campus, a curriculum or graduates carrying our values into the world, there was Rob, my mother, Christina Seix, and a small group of champions with a bold vision. Rob not only helped my mother build a school, but a community rooted in belonging, opportunity, dignity, and hope.

The impact of that vision is visible everywhere we look today.

From an opening class of just 55 students, CSA has grown into a thriving residential campus serving more than 200 children and over 100 families. More than 100 graduates now carry the Seix mystique into high schools, colleges, and communities of their own. Nearly every eighth-grade graduate has continued on to college-preparatory high schools through scholarship support, while our earliest alumni are now succeeding in four-year colleges and beginning to shape the world around them.

The Academy's impact extends far beyond our classrooms. Through our wraparound services, families have strengthened their financial footing, increased earnings, achieved homeownership, and built greater stability for future generations. We have welcomed countless partners and supporters into this mission, including more than 100 new donors in recent years alone. Most importantly, we have watched alumni return year after year to mentor, guide, and inspire younger students, carrying forward my mother’s founding belief that what you are given, you give again.

As Trustees, we often speak about the remarkable outcomes our students achieve. Yet what has always distinguished this institution is something more difficult to measure. It is the sense of home that so many students and families describe when they speak about CSA. It is the culture of care, accountability, and belonging that has sustained this community through challenges and triumphs alike. It is the enduring belief that every child deserves not only an excellent education, but also a community that sees them, supports them, and believes in their future. For 17 years, Rob has served as the core champion of this vision, making this value a reality. 

The Board believes the Academy is exceptionally well-positioned for this transition. We are fortunate to have a talented leadership team, a dedicated faculty and staff, and a mission that remains as vital and compelling today as it was when the school was founded.

We are also grateful that Ms. Ivy Green has agreed to serve as Interim Head of School during the 2026–27 school year. Ivy has been a foundational leader within this community since the Academy's earliest days. Her deep connection to Trenton, her steadfast commitment to our students and families, and her profound understanding of the Academy's mission make her uniquely suited to lead during this important period. The Board has complete confidence in her leadership and is deeply appreciative of her willingness to serve.

Transitions naturally invite reflection. They also invite us to consider what endures.

The Christina Seix Academy has never been defined by a single individual, however extraordinary their contributions may be. Rather, it has been shaped by a shared belief that lives can be transformed through education, community, and opportunity. That belief inspired my mother’s vision. It inspired Rob's leadership. And it continues to inspire every student, family, educator, donor, volunteer, and trustee who contributes to this community today.

On a personal note, it has been my privilege to serve this community as Board Chair for the last three years. I too have been deeply inspired and instructed by each and every one of you, the energy and fortitude you bring to this mission of positive change. I look forward to continuing to serve as a board member carrying on my mother’s vision and legacy. 

As we prepare for this next chapter, the Board extends its deepest gratitude to Rob and Su Connor for their years of leadership, friendship, and service. Their contributions to the Academy are immeasurable, and their legacy will be reflected for generations in the lives of the children, families and staff who call CSA home.

The future of Christina Seix Academy is bright, and we look forward to writing its next chapter alongside all of you.

With gratitude,