NATCHEZ — Four people have led Trinity Episcopal Day School in the past three years. But the newest change will hopefully shore up the stability that the top office has been lacking for too long, Trinity Board of Trustees Chairman Dr. Rod Givens said.

Trinity announced Thursday the school’s newest headmaster will be Jackson native Les Hegwood.

Givens said Trinity has continued to have a stable teaching staff. But it’s a relief for him, teachers and current Interim Headmaster The Rev. Brandt Dick, to welcome a long-term leader.

“On the administrative level we have had weakness in (the headmaster’s position), and (Hegwood will) bring immediate credibility to that administrative position,” Givens said.

Hegwood will start on the job June 1, but Givens said Hegwood has already begun to reach out to the Trinity community.

“(Hegwood is) warm and energetic — one of those kind of people who when you talk to him, it’s like you’ve known him for years,” Givens said.

After six months of reviewing 20 to 25 qualified candidates, Givens said Hegwood stood apart from the group.

Hegwood graduated from St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in 1997. He earned his bachelor’s in English with a minor in anthropology in 2001 from the University of Mississippi and master’s in curriculum and instruction in 2005, also from Ole Miss.

“He’s a young guy, energetic and one of those guys who pays meticulous attention to detail,” Givens said.

Givens said Hegwood, who currently teaches in Tennessee, will begin his administrative career with Trinity.

Most recently, Hegwood taught English in grades nine through 12 in Mississippi and Tennessee. He currently teaches Advanced Placement literature and composition, senior English and theory of knowledge at Signal Mountain High School near Chattanooga, Tenn.  He has also coached softball, baseball and cross-country during his teaching career.

Givens said Trinity’s parental body is relatively young, and he is confident Hegwood, who is in his early 30s, will fit in nicely with the school community.

“(The board wanted) someone who is young, yet mature, and really recognizes what the future of education is and how rapidly it’s changing,” Givens said.

Trinity has modeled some of the school’s curriculum from Hegwood’s alma mater, St. Andrews, which also made Hegwood the right choice, Givens said.

He said Hegwood has ties to the Miss-Lou through his family and his wife Corinne, a native of the Tensas Parish area. The couple also has a 2-year-old daughter and is expecting a second child.

“This is an answer to my family’s fervent prayers that we get closer to home,” Hegwood said in an e-mailed press release to the Trinity community.

“I hope that you are ready to dive in with me and help Trinity become the best school in the area.”

Givens said he believes Hegwood’s ability to stay cutting edge will ensure his longevity.

“(Hegwood’s) vision and the board’s vision are completely in line; that is to provide the best education that a child in Natchez can have,” Givens said.

Dick has served as interim headmaster in addition to his other duties at Trinity since last June.

Cynthia Smith was hired in January 2010 and assumed the position after completing the school year as a counselor at Vidalia High School.

Before that, Jackie Ezell was acting headmaster for the entire 2009-2010 school year, after the board terminated former head of school Delecia Carey.