The longtime leader of an elite Connecticut boarding school has been placed on leave after trustees learned that he is reportedly the subject of a federal investigation.
Charles Cahn III, who led Suffield Academy for 23 years, is allegedly being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service over suspected tax fraud, according to board members.
School officials announced the decision Thursday, shortly after trustees were informed of the IRS inquiry involving the headmaster, whose annual compensation has exceeded $1 million.
The school told its community that Suffield’s finances are not part of the investigation and that the reported concerns relate to Cahn’s personal financial affairs.
In an email to the school community, board President Frederic Powers wrote: ‘We are cooperating fully with the investigation.’
Neither the school nor its trustees has disclosed what prompted the investigation, leaving parents, alumni and other members of the Suffield community seeking answers.
Cahn, who was widely viewed as a transformative figure at the academy, had been expected to retire next summer.
Casey Bobo, who had previously been identified as his successor, has already assumed Cahn’s responsibilities, The Boston Globe reported.
Charles Cahn, headmaster of the prestigious Suffield Academy, is reportedly the subject of an IRS investigation
Trustees placed Cahn on leave after learning about the inquiry, while his designated successor, Casey Bobo, took over his duties
At 56, Cahn was among the highest-paid leaders of a private boarding school. Just days before the announcement, Suffield had held a celebration honoring his tenure.
The message announcing Bobo’s new role did not address the speculation surrounding Cahn, according to the outlet.
‘Everyone loved Charlie,’ a parent of recent Suffield graduates, who spoke anonymously, told the outlet.
Following the announcement, the Connecticut academy said it had retained a crisis public relations firm to help manage the situation.
The school has declined to provide additional details about the investigation.
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‘We understand that this announcement may raise questions, and we appreciate your understanding of the limits on what we can share,’ Powers wrote in his email.
Cahn received $1,124,088 during the 2024-25 fiscal year, CT Insider reported. A 2024 CT Insider review found that he had also earned slightly more than $1 million in each of the 2021-22 and 2020-21 fiscal years.
Cahn began at Suffield as an English teacher and lacrosse coach before becoming head of school at age 34 in 2004
Founded nearly 200 years ago, the New England academy currently enrolls as many as 420 students.
Boarding students pay $79,400 in annual tuition, and international students account for roughly one-fifth of the enrollment.
Cahn first arrived at Suffield as an English teacher and lacrosse coach.
He later became head of admissions and dean of the faculty before being named head of school in 2004, when he was 34.
He met his wife, Hillary Rockwell, while they were both at the academy.
The couple raised their two children on the school’s campus, becoming known as Suffield’s first family. Images of them were featured in the academy’s promotional materials.
Cahn also developed a reputation as a highly effective fundraiser, a strength the school had cited in explaining his substantial compensation.
During his tenure, he helped reshape the 350-acre campus, overseeing the addition of athletic facilities, a dining hall and new academic buildings.
His fundraising efforts took him across the United States and overseas.
He had been scheduled to attend alumni gatherings in Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, San Francisco, Boston and New York City.
Suffield had also prepared an extensive program to honor Cahn and preserve the fundraising momentum associated with his leadership.
Our News Outlet has contacted the school for comment.
