Sept. 12 Convocation Welcomes Crissy Cáceres as 20th Head of School: Pre-Event Details

The Brooklyn Friends School Board of Trustees ushered in a new era in the 152-year history of Brooklyn Friends School with a Convocation to welcome Crissy Cáceres as the 20th Head of School. The Convocation took place on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019 at 6pm in the Auditorium of New York City Technical College at 285 Jay Street. Hundreds of people – trustees, students, parents, teachers, alumni, independent school leaders, Quakers and friends from all walks of life – were on hand to welcome Ms. Cáceres and her family to Brooklyn and BFS.

Crissy – as she will be known to the community in the manner of Friends – began her new position on July 1, 2019 and has been immersed in getting to know the school community well ever since her appointment as Head in November, 2018.  At that time, the BFS Board of Trustees cited Crissy’s integrity, intelligence, buoyant spirit, openness, and her personal journey as a young child from Puerto Rico to Newark, NJ as compelling attributes that enriched her 20-year professional career while she demonstrated the skills essential to success as Head of School. She and her husband, James Cox, are also new BFS parents, as their two younger daughters began school in September, while their oldest started college.

Crissy is a nationally recognized leader in the field of independent education. She comes to BFS from the PK-Gr. 12 Georgetown Day School (Washington, DC), where she was Assistant Head of School, ensuring mission-aligned practices across all grades. Previously, she was Head of Lower School at Abington Friends School (Jenkintown, PA) and Assistant Head of Lower School and Teacher at The Episcopal Academy (Newtown Square, PA). An alumna of Wellesley College, she has a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and has presented extensively on issues of school leadership, social justice, school culture, and student engagem

Reflecting on her first month at BFS In her opening message to the BFS community, Crissy wrote: “As I partner with you in the coming weeks, months, and years, I commit to listening, dreaming, and doing. . . . I commit to listening to you and all constituents in our community to learn about and further appreciate all that BFS has been and is. This is essential as I take time to dream about and act upon BFS’s potential for growth and ability to learn from and serve as a model for others within this contemporary landscape of education.”

Convocation speaker, Rich Nourie, is a longtime friend and mentor of Crissy.  He is Head of Abington Friends School and a former board member of Friends Council on Education. Rich currently serves as the board chair of the Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools, and is a board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools.

Read Crissy’s August 1, 2019 Summer Greetings Message to the BFS Community HERE.