M. Wade Ortego

Wade Ortego has served as Head of School in classical Christian schools since 2008. His experience and stories from the past 15 years have formed a virtual guidebook of successes and failures for other Heads of School. His great passion is to assist schools and Heads as they develop and fine-tune the formation of their staff and students, while building a school culture and community that honors the Lord. Wade has led four schools and is currently Head of The Ambrose School system in Meridian, Idaho. He enjoys consulting with other classical schools, supporting Heads and boards throughout the classical Christian education community, encouraging them to avoid the mistakes and missteps he’s made along the way. He has been married to Rachel for 26 years and they have three boys: Matthew, Elijah, and Jedidiah.

2024 Speaker Topic

Counting the Cost … The Head of School Role

As classical Christian education continues to grow throughout the country, more and more schools are starting up—and with that comes the need for leadership, often in the form of a Headmaster or a Head of School. Prior to this boom, the Christian education movement was already short on leadership. So, if communities fail for lack of vision, are we recruiting and preparing the leaders needed to provide that vision? Throughout the conversation, we will discuss the responsibilities of a Head of School, the pathway to the position, the prerequisite skills, and behaviors necessary to survive and succeed in the role. The CCE movement needs faithful leaders, and we should make sure we are equipping and resourcing those leaders for the realities ahead of them. Resource and stories will be shared so prospective Heads can realistically evaluate their capabilities as they consider the call to serve as Head of School.