While college preparatory academy Brandon Hall School is developing a 10-year strategic plan, new President and Headmaster John L. Singleton, Ed.D., is thinking ahead to the next 20 years.

“I hope to retire here,” the 46-year-old said about the 27-acre campus in the Sandy Springs panhandle, bordered by the Chattahoochee River and crested by the former summer home of Buckhead business leader Morris Brandon.

Singleton has occupied several locations as a public and private school educator in Delaware and North Carolina, but prefers the president’s residence he occupies with his standard poodle Shelby.

“I have always loved the Atlanta community,” he said. “The Rivergate neighborhood and the Dunwoody and Sandy Springs[/Perimeter] chambers of commerce have made me feel welcome and right at home. The Brandon Hall community has been exceptionally helpful during my transition.”

Transitions are one of Singleton’s strengths, according to former colleague William H. Turner, previous senior vice president of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Aspen Education Group’s eastern residential division.

“I had the pleasure of seeing John Singleton grow while at Aspen from a gifted education director to an even more gifted school executive director,” Turner said about the Waynesville, N.C., native, who worked in nearby Ashville, N.C.. “He was never shy in the face of a tough assignment and was respected by parents, students and staff alike. As a focused and strategic thinker, he will clearly lead Brandon Hall to its next level of excellence.”

Singleton said its current excellence, combining new tools like the Apple iPad and old-fashioned personal attention, attracted him to the 51-year-old establishment, which he had visited several times.

“These interactions gave me a glimpse of a place that reflected my strong belief in personalized education where student successes were celebrated,” he said. “Further, the strong, professional faculty who care about each student’s needs made Brandon Hall an ideal choice.”

Singleton, who earlier this year earned his doctor of education degree from the University of Phoenix (Ariz.), said learning at one’s own pace is an advantage.

“Research suggests when students are taught using techniques that are consistent with their learning styles, students learn more easily, faster and can retain and apply concepts more readily to future learning,” he said.

Information: visit www.brandonhall.org.