Mather House Masters Sandra Naddaff and Leigh Hafrey announced in an e-mail to the Mather community at 9:30 Monday night that they will step down from the House’s helm at the end of this academic year.

“When we began mastering at Mather in 1993, we couldn't possibly have imagined the great adventure and deep pleasure that this work brings,” they wrote. “Over the past 18 years, we have experienced over and over again the uniqueness of Harvard's residential system, and the benefits it brings to all its members. It has been for us a privilege and a joy to live in this House and share its great spirit.”

Of the dozen sitting House Masters, Naddaff--who serves as chair of the Council of Masters and directs the Freshman Seminar Program--and Hafrey have served the longest. Their son, Benjamin Naddaff-Hafrey '13, is a current freshman.

They are the third set of Masters to announce their impending departure in just under two weeks. Cabot House Masters Jay M. Harris and Cheryl L. Harris made their announcement on November 29, while Eliot House Masters Lino Pertile and Anna Bensted did so three days earlier.

House Master vacancies are filled by Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds. By the end of the year, she will have had to fill five of the 12 Houses' top slots during her two-year tenure, having filled Master positions in Pforzheimer and Winthrop Houses earlier in the calendar year.