Meet Your Neighbor: Q&A with Dr. Kaenzig, Foxcroft’s 11th Head of School 

Written by Emerson Leger | Photos by Caroline Gray

As Foxcroft School enters its 2025-26 academic year, the institution welcomes Dr. Lisa Kaenzig as its new head of school. Moving from upstate New York, Kaenzig, who earned her Ph.D. from the College of William & Mary, returns to Virginia with decades of administrative experience and an obvious zest for the job and her new community. 

Kaenzig sat down with Middleburg Life to discuss her plans as head of school, with the main goal of community never far from her mind, she says. This focus, along with her devotion to furthering girls’ education, is Kaenzig’s driving aim as she prepares for the school year ahead.

ML: Can you share some of your plans for the upcoming school year?

LK: I am excited to get to know the entire Foxcroft community, including our new and returning students, alumnae, faculty and staff, and members of the surrounding Middleburg community. We have so much to celebrate in this 112th academic year of the school. The campus is beautiful — each day I feel like I’m literally walking in a storybook, as I stroll from my home at Covert to my office in Schoolhouse. We are starting to think about our next strategic plan and dreaming about the next chapter for Foxcroft. 

ML: What skills will you bring to Foxcroft from your two-decade career as a dean? 

LK: It was a joy to serve as a college dean for women at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for 22 years. I learned so much, first as a dean for first-year women entering college from high school and then for more than seven years as dean of William Smith College, where I was able to lead a community of people focused on supporting our students. HWS is a small liberal arts college with a diverse student body focused on the individual student’s journey. Foxcroft is similar in many ways — we care about each girl as a unique person. I also learned so much about building a sense of community, working closely with colleagues across campus, and understanding the wider system of a school. I will bring all of that wonderful experience to my new role as the head of school at Foxcroft.

ML: What are you looking forward to most about serving as Foxcroft’s 11th head of school?

LK: I so enjoy watching girls and young women transform over their teenage and college years. It is remarkable to see the evolution of girls coming from middle school, where there’s so much change in their lives, to where they are as they launch into their collegiate experience. My hope for all of our Foxcroft girls is that we help them find their voices and share their enthusiasm about all that they’re learning here on campus, in the classrooms, in sports, with their friends, and with our outstanding faculty and staff. This is a very special place, and I am honored to be part of such a storied school. 

ML: How do you plan to contribute to Foxcroft’s mission and values?

LK: I could not possibly be more aligned with the mission and values of Foxcroft. Our mission is to “help every girl explore her unique voice and to develop the skills, confidence, and courage to share it with the world.” My entire career has been devoted to the education and leadership development of young women, so this could not be a better fit for me at this stage of my life and career. We also have an incredibly talented faculty and staff here at Foxcroft and devoted alumnae, including many who serve on our outstanding board of trustees. We will all continue to work together to make sure that our girls, both today and for generations to come, find and use their voices as they move forward here on our campus and out in the world.

ML: How do you plan to foster a strong sense of community among students, faculty, and staff at Foxcroft? 

LK: This is such a special community, and I plan to continue building on the important work of the 10 heads of school before me. I am so excited to work with our outstanding faculty members and make sure they have all the support they need to do their important work in the classroom and beyond. We have more than 3,000 Foxcroft alumnae, some right here on our campus and in the Middleburg community, and many more who live across the country and around the globe. I am excited to meet as many as possible in the years ahead and to continue to share the stories of the transformative experiences of our girls at Foxcroft today. 

ML: What are you most excited about in Virginia horse country as it compares to New York? 

LK: I was born in Portsmouth, while my Dad was serving there in the U.S. Navy, and I spent the early years of my career in Washington, D.C. I returned to Virginia to earn my Ph.D. at William & Mary. So, moving back to Virginia feels like coming home. However, I have not spent as much time in this incredibly beautiful area of the state. My partner and I are having fun exploring the local parks, and we recently spent a lovely morning tubing on the Shenandoah River and exploring the countryside in Hume and near Front Royal. We are also enjoying shopping and eating at the amazing restaurants in downtown Middleburg. 

As part of our summer retreat, the Foxcroft administrative team recently spent time at the National Sporting Library & Museum, where we learned so much about the amazing history of our area. I also had a lot of fun meeting local business owners and other community members at my first Middleburg Biz Buzz! Everyone has been so welcoming, and I look forward to the Middleburg Hunt coming through our campus this fall and learning much more about horses! 

ML: When you’re not on campus, how do you spend your time?

LK: We have two daughters who are recent college graduates, now living and working in Manhattan and Charlotte. So, I enjoy checking in with both of them and hearing about their daily adventures! Most of my extended family lives in the Southeast, so I am also trying to make more time for trips to see them now that I live closer. And they are all excited to come visit us in our new home here on the Foxcroft campus! We are also having fun walking around downtown Middleburg. I am a big reader, so I have already visited Middleburg Books — leaving that beautiful store with stacks of new books and great cards — several times since we moved here in late June. I also enjoy swimming and doing yoga! ML

Published in the September 2025 issue of Middleburg Life.