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Pat Cuneo
Pat currently serves as the director of academic affairs at Athens Academy in Athens, Georgia, having spent 27 years in independent education. Since 2005, he has served as a team member and/or chair on 12 SAIS accreditation visits and served as his school’s coordinator through four accreditation cycles. In his cover letter, he said serving on accreditation teams has offered some of the most valuable and practical professional learning opportunities of his career.
His engagement with SAIS extends well beyond his accreditation service. In 2006, he was one of the recipients of the SAIS Pressly Research Award for his research on diversity among lower school faculty. He has participated in numerous SAIS events, including presenting at the SAIS Annual Conference. He also founded and then mediated the SAIS listserv for academic deans for five years. He has been an invited participant in the SAIS Accreditation Summit four times since 2015.
SAIS President Debra Wilson said, “We are thrilled to welcome Pat to the SAIS team. He has the perfect combination of experience, knowledge of our schools, and enthusiasm for accreditation and supporting schools. We look forward to collaborating with Pat as we continue the incredible work of those who have built SAIS accreditation into the distinct and growth-oriented model it is today.”
Current SAIS Director of Accreditation Joanne Andruscavage, who announced her retirement last fall, adds, “Beyond his knowledge and experience in SAIS accreditation, Pat brings a true spirit of service to the schools in our association. He will ensure that we look to the future while honoring the founding values of SAIS accreditation and we very much look forward to working with him.”
Cuneo will begin his role on July 1, 2023, in partnership with Andruscavage, who will move into the role of director of special accreditation projects. During an overlap period, she will help Pat transition to his new responsibilities, get oriented, and start building a strong foundation to carry forward the important work of accreditation.
Joanne Andruscavage has served as the director of accreditation since joining the SAIS staff in 2014. During her tenure, Joanne has strengthened the structure of the chair pre-visits, transformed training for chairs and team members, helped increase membership, and improved the new member onboarding process. She is a valued resource to schools across the SAIS region. Joanne has a heart for helping others and her dedicated, responsive service is widely known and genuinely appreciated. In retirement, she looks forward to volunteer work with animal rescues, spending time with her grandchildren, and continuing to help schools grow and thrive.
The last paragraph of Pat’s cover letter sums it up well: “In my work with Joanne Andruscavage over many years, I have developed an enduring appreciation for the dedication and talent required to craft and continually mold a process that supports and respects the unique missions of nearly 400 independent schools. Flexibility, diplomacy, candor, attention to detail, organizational and communication skills, and the ability to build and maintain relationships strike me as essential requirements for this role, and I am confident that I can use my skills and experience to assist SAIS and all the schools that it serves in this capacity.” We agree, and we look forward to welcoming Pat to Team SAIS this summer and celebrating Joanne in the year ahead!
MORE ABOUT PAT CUNEO
Pat has served as the director of academic affairs at Athens Academy in Athens, Georgia, since 2004. Prior to that he served as English department chair, teacher, and coach at The Steward School in Richmond, Virginia, from 1996 until 2004. Pat earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Virginia. Pat and his wife Kelley have been married for 26 years are the proud parents of three children: Abby, Ben, and Henry.
He professes to simultaneously love both Excel spreadsheets and literature. When asked during the interview process how he felt about bylaws, he said, “There’s no way I can make those sound interesting or fun.” We agree with that too!
His email address will be pat@sais.org and it’s already set up if you want to say hi.
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