Crossroads News
Crossroads Welcomes Two New Senior Administrators
Mariama Richards and Natalie Burton join Crossroads for the 2020-21 school year.
After a thorough and thoughtful hiring process, Crossroads is pleased to announce the addition of two new senior administrators beginning their tenures in the 2020-21 school year. Mariama Richards will step into the role of associate head of school, and Natalie Burton will begin as head of the Elementary School.
Mariama comes to Crossroads with more than 20 years of experience as an educator. She is currently the assistant head of school for academic program at Friends’ Central School just outside Philadelphia. Throughout her career, Mariama has demonstrated her strengths in curriculum development, faculty evaluation and conceiving and executing major equity initiatives. She holds a master’s degree in Africana studies from Cornell University and a bachelor’s degree in history from Spelman College. Mariama replaces current Associate Head of School Doug Thompson.
While Mariama has been aware of Crossroads’ mission and academic program for more than 15 years, her recent visit to the School reinforced the ways Crossroads mirrors her professional and personal values: “I saw creativity and heard complex questions being asked,” Mariama recalls. “I heard music, saw smiles and felt energy everywhere I went. I thrive in communities that have that level of energy and excitement, and I knew right away that I wanted to work there.”
Natalie Burton, the new head of the Elementary School, is an administrator with more than 30 years of experience in education. She is currently an educational consultant with the UCLA Math Project, providing professional development to principals and teachers throughout the Los Angeles Unified School District. In her many administrative roles, she has supported teachers in implementing constructivist and student-centered principles in the classroom. Natalie holds two master’s degrees, one in educational leadership from Stanford University and the other in Spanish from Middlebury College. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish, with a minor in Latin American Studies, from Bowdoin College. Natalie replaces current Head of Elementary School Debbie Wei.
“I was drawn to Crossroads for their commitment to creating, embracing and building upon the diverse, dynamic, creative and reflective K-12 community,” says Natalie, who is also a parent to Crossroads sophomore Miles Burton.
