Barbara J. Brown named as next head of The Marin School

The Marin School's Board of Trustees recently announced that is has hired veteran administrator Barbara J. Brown to become the school's next Head of School. She replaces Peter T. Esty, who stepped in as the interim Head of School during the search process.

Brown brings more than 30 years of academic leadership and teaching experience to TMS. She was the founding Head of School at The Oakwood School, a K-12, college-preparatory independent school in Greenville, North Carolina. Brown also served as Head of School at Oak Hill School in Eugene, Oregon, another K-12 college-preparatory school. In addition, she has worked at Menlo School in Atherton, Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park, and Santa Catalina School in Monterey.

"Barbara's winning track record in building, growing, developing, and strengthening the schools under her leadership, her passion for education and her commitment to innovative, hands-on learning made her the ideal choice to lead our school as we strive to offer Bay Area families and their children the best independent school education available," said Ted West, Chair of the Board of Trustees. "Our entire community is thrilled to welcome her."

Brown earned her BA from the University of California, Santa Barbara; MA in Education from Stanford University School of Education; and a Doctorate in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has received two awards for Outstanding Teaching for her innovative techniques in the classroom. At both Stanford and Harvard she served as class marshal during commencement, and was also the commencement speaker at Harvard. She was honored this year to be asked to join the Harvard Graduate School of Education's Alumni Council, representing the West Coast.

"From the moment I set foot on the campus, I fell in love with the atmosphere because I could sense that students were allowed to be individuals," stated Brown. "There is a strong sense of community, collaboration and creativity among the TMS community. I am extremely excited about my appointment as Head of School at TMS."