Foxcroft Head of School Mary Louise Leipheimer became only the third individual to receive the prestigious Ruzicka Compass Premier Leadership Award when Rob Hershey, Board Chair of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), presented the honor to her at the TABS Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD.

The Ruzicka Compass recognizes extraordinary contributions to the excellence, advancement and success of boarding schools.

Leipheimer, was nominated by a number of individuals from Foxcroft and from the larger education community. She was selected from among a group of 30 nominees, according to Jeremy LaCasse, Senior School Head at Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh and Chair of the Ruzicka Compass Selection Committee.

"The glowing nomination letters made our job easy," explained LaCasse.

Head of Foxcroft since 1989, Leipheimer has been an influential and respected leader in national independent school organizations for some time. She has served as board member or in other lead positions of the National Association of Independent Schools, National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls, National Coalition of Girls' Schools (of which she was a Founding Co-Chair), Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT) Board, and as a founding director of TABS.

In 1998, Leipheimer accepted membership into the prestigious Headmasters Association. The following year she received the coveted William B. Bretnall Award for Leadership from the SSAT Board and in 2009 she earned the Distinguished Alumni Award from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

"Mary Lou has served the cause of boarding schools for four decades always characterized by wisdom, directness, humility, humor and grace," said Hershey, headmaster of Episcopal High School in Alexandria. "In addition to leading Foxcroft to the forefront of girls' boarding education, always with a strong eye towards the future, she has been recognized for her insight and ability to lead by serving on the many national boards and has been a strong voice in virtually every organization and conversation shaping our work and lives in boarding schools."

Looking out at the 700-plus boarding school educators at the presentation, Hershey added, "Very few of us in this room know as much and understand as much about schools as Mary Lou."

In her acceptance speech, Leipheimer honored the late Steven D. Ruzicka, for whom the award is named, recalling the small-town roots and values they shared, the connection to those roots that each found in boarding schools and their "myth-busting" mission to spread the truth about boarding schools.

She thanked friends and colleagues. Then, returning as she so often does to her roots as an English teacher, Leipheimer referred to the 15th-century "Everyman" morality play and accepted the award on behalf every person in the room, for the good work they all do in boarding schools.

"I believe it's true that we are only as strong as what each of us contributes," Leipheimer said. "And so I am pleased to accept this award on behalf of all of you."

Executive Director of TABS from 1995 until his death in 2007, Ruzicka was a trusted leader who charted a course of inspiration, commitment, and integrity for the Association. His family received the inaugural Compass, in 2008, and Tom Wilcox, President and CEO of Baltimore Community Foundation and former headmaster of Concord (MA) Academy was the 2009 recipient.