Carl Pelofsky, his wife and 12-year-old twin boys will relocate to Ann Arbor from Kansas City, Mo., so Pelofsky can become the newest headmaster of Greenhills School.

The moment he entered the Ann Arbor private school, Pelofsky felt at home, he said in a press release.

“Greenhills exudes a palpable confidence — a warm, unassuming tone that suggests the school is comfortable with its identity,” Pelofsky said. “The more time I spent with members of the community, the more I realized Greenhills clearly strives to establish a wonderful balance of high expectations and low anxiety for students.”

A Harvard University graduate with a master’s degree in English and an educational specialist degree from the University of Missouri, Pelofsky has spent his entire teaching and administrative career in Kansas City, where he grew up.

Pelofsky served as the assistant head and academic dean for his alma matter — Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City’s largest, private college preparatory school.

Most recently, he was the principal at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy, a 6-12 magnet school with 1,000 students.

Kevin Tremper, president of Greenhills’ board of trustees, said in a letter earlier this week to Greenhills School parents that Pelofsky connected with students immediately during the interview process and was able to engage them in formal and informal settings.

“Students found him to be thoughtful, approachable and interested in their wellbeing," Tremper said. "While faculty and staff further praised Carl’s strong communication skills, his impressive administrative background and solid experience as a classroom teacher."

The board of trustees hired a search consultant, Stephen DiCicco of Education Directions Inc., to assist its efforts to locate the next head of schools.

A search committee comprising board members, faculty, staff and alumni narrowed down the initial pool of around 31 candidates to 14 semi-finalists. Seven of the candidates were invited to visit Greenhills for a tour and face-to-face interview.

From there, school officials said the committee selected three finalists. The finalists were brought to campus for a rigorous two-day vetting process, which included meeting with a search advisory committee of parents and other community members.

The finalists also visited classrooms and gave a brief talk to the student body at a school assembly.

Following the two, nearly 15-hour days, the Greenhills School community participated in surveys and gave feedback about the candidates, school officials said. After which, the search committee recommended Pelofsky to the full board of trustees for their approval.

Pelofsky will assume the head position at Greenhills School on July 1, following current headmaster Peter Fayroian’s departure to lead one of the nation’s largest boarding schools in Massachusetts.

Greenhills, located at 850 Greenhills Dr., offers grades 6-12 and has about 545 students enrolled. Fayroian said Greenhills' class of 2012 will graduate 90 students.

Tuition for middle school students for 2012-13 is set at $19,290 and tuition for upper students is $19,680.

Staff reporter Danielle Arndt covers K-12 education for AnnArbor.com. Follow her on Twitter @DanielleArndt or email her at daniellearndt@annarbor.com.