Our Wildwood, Volume 54

SAYING GOODBYE

HUMAN OF THE SCHOOL.

In all my experiences at Wildwood—as a parent to both of my boys on their K–12 journey, as a trustee, as a board chair, and as a community member—Landis has been, to me, the singular human embodiment of the school.”

ANDREW SOLMSSEN (P. ‘24, ‘24) BOARD CHAIR (2020-2023) BOARD OF TRUSTEES (2014-PRESENT)

The risk, of course, of having someone so fully embody a place—as Landis does—is that it becomes hard to separate the person from the institution. While it is certain that Wildwood will be different without him, no one is working harder than Landis to ensure that the school and its future leaders succeed—and indeed thrive—when he is gone. Since sharing with me, in the winter of 2024, his plan to step down as head of school, Landis has been clear about what leaving would look like for him, determined, as he told me repeatedly, to “do right by the school” he loves. What did that mean in practice? Staying for two and half years so the board could conduct a thorough search for his replacement; remaining hyper-focused on his priorities and their timelines—digging in rather than phoning it in; championing the transition and proactively finding ways to give his successor every possible advantage before even arriving at Wildwood. All these things were choices, and all of them reflect Landis’ obvious professionalism on the one hand, and sincere, deep affection for Wildwood on the other. What a privilege it has been to witness it. The spectacular coda to this catalog of accomplishments, compiled here from observations by the people who knew him best, is the final phase of Landis’ long and celebrated tenure. With generosity and humility, Landis has deftly set up Wildwood to do even more and be even better when he is no longer the head of it. It epitomizes everything that’s good about him as a school leader and a human being. The recollections on these pages remind us of all that Landis has given Wildwood across the years. But, for me, Landis’ greatest gift to the school just may be the way he is choosing to leave it.

Simply put, it was Landis’ leadership around fundraising and philanthropy from the beginning that has resulted in the robust financial position we are in right now. It is what allows us to be ambitious about the future—buying a building, growing our enrollment, expanding our programs. All of that takes money and commitment. Landis has never stopped believing that Wildwood’s future is bright and achievable.”

JOHN FRIEDMAN (P. ‘96, ‘05, ‘07) BOARD OF TRUSTEES (1992-PRESENT)

A progressive school cannot rest on what has come before: it must progress. Landis has raised the bar for what Wildwood can accomplish, and he has paved the way for his successors to continue to progress.”

LEE ROSENBAUM (P. ‘11, ‘13, ‘16) BOARD CHAIR (2007-2010) BOARD OF TRUSTEES (2006-PRESENT)

OWW SPRING 2026

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