James F. Ventre, a Methuen native who has spent decades shaping which students get into Phillips Academy and how they pay for it, will become the Andover school's 17th head of school on July 1, 2027.

The Phillips Academy Board of Trustees elected Ventre unanimously, Board of Trustees President Eric Zinterhofer announced Thursday, July 9. Zinterhofer, a 1989 Phillips graduate who chaired the search committee, took over as board president just eight days earlier on July 1.

Zinterhofer's own elevation came after a unanimous vote in April, succeeding Amy Falls, who had led the board since 2019 as its first female president. Falls said at the time that the board's recent governance review recognized "the increasing complexity and scope of the Academy and its role in global education."

Ventre graduated from Phillips Academy in 1979 and returned to build a career there. He serves as assistant head of school for admission and financial aid and is a longtime senior leader at the institution. In 2019, when then-Head of School John Palfrey departed, Ventre stepped in as interim head through the following academic year.

For Andover and North Andover families considering Phillips Academy, the appointment means the person who has overseen the school's need-blind admission process and financial aid program for years will now run the institution.

As recently as March 15, Ventre was hosting alumni receptions in Shanghai in his admission role.

He succeeds current Head of School Raynard Kington. Phillips Academy, founded in 1778 at 180 Main St. in Andover, enrolls students from across the Merrimack Valley and around the world. Ventre takes over July 1, 2027.