Meet Sam Houser, the new head of New Roads School

After years of searching, an executive director has finally been found…but who is he?

With three words, Sam Houser described himself as an only child, persistent, and disciplined. He explained that growing up as an only child made him impatient but also structured because his home was disciplined. 

“If we want to get somewhere as an organization, or if I want to get somewhere as a person, I don’t expect the result overnight. I can persist, which is not quite the same as being patient. Although I am impatient for the result, I am willing to put in the work and the time to get there in the end,” says Houser. 

Sam Houser (Photograph: Newtown Friends Meeting)

This idea of putting in work for the long run reflects a central theme that came up in our interview. He is invested in the immediate needs of New Roads, but also its future. In the beginning, he especially plans to listen and learn from our community – to approach things as a student, eager to learn the culture of this place and the disposition of its people. To him, this means not just waiting in his office for people to express their needs, but rather going outside and actively engaging with the administration and student body. 

Houser has spent many years being both a teacher and a student, offering a deep empathy for the other side of administration. He grew up in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, in a small town close to the border of Maryland with a population size of 16,000. He attended a rural public high school with 685 students in his graduating class, as it was the only school within 15 miles of multiple small towns. Then, he went on to study Latin at Franklin and Marshall College, later translating this interest into a PhD in classical philology (A.K.A. Greek and Latin literature) at Brown University. Although I didn’t ask him this in our interview, I think he would easily describe himself as a language enthusiast. 

After completing his PhD, his career came full circle as he went back to work at Franklin and Marshall College as a faculty member in the classics department, starting what would become a 20-year career there. He spent eight years as a professor of classics, and then 12 as an administrator– but he always taught at least one class because he loves teaching. 

Even at George School –the Quaker, Newtown, Pennsylvania, private boarding school where he spent the last seven years as the Head of School– he taught an intro philosophy course near the end of his time there. It is clear that Houser knows the value of growing roots in a given institution and has stated that one of his main goals for New Roads is stability. 

George School (Photograph: George School Website)

Houser decided to leave the George School because he felt a sense of completion there. They had serious financial problems and budget deficits when he started. Throughout his time, he had the task of keeping the school culture authentic while dealing with these issues. At the end of his term, the school had a budget surplus, they had finished their strategic plan, and he had already been there for seven years.

“It felt like a right transition moment,” Houser said. He spent the last year of his contract setting up the school to move to the next Head of School, and then he was off! 

He chose New Roads and the Santa Monica community as a new home base. In fact, when asked what his dream vacation would be, he said he would love to travel across the country with his dog and husband. He already took another one of his dream travels to the midwestern plains, in the area where Willa Cather grew up, an author whom he loves. He enjoys traveling slowly, taking the time to really get to know a place. 

Sam Houser (Photograph: LinkedIn)

He explained that the community of New Roads is what drew him to make this major transition from Philly to LA. “This place  – the culture, the way people interact – seemed incredibly warm. I love the inclusive nature of the school, the diversity of it. I was sold on that,” Houser said.

Finally, his last goal for New Roads capitalizes on this unique culture– he would like for New Roads to become more well-known. Specifically, he said it would be wonderful if we didn’t have to say, “It's not Crossroads, but it’s related,” to spark recognition. 

“New Roads enables so many people to do so much, and it is not the same thing for everybody. We have to find a way to make it clear that we are invested in the success of students in a way that other schools are not. We care about the quality of the people who graduate— their compassion and kindness…How all of that is packaged to draw distinctions between other schools and us is going to be a challenge worth tackling,” Houser said.