Catalyst thrilled to announce new Principals at Catalyst Maria!
Catalyst is very grateful for the many contributions to the Catalyst Maria community by Dawn Donati and Jill Castro, and we are excited to announce a new chapter at CM K-12. Mrs. Krystina Henley is the new Catalyst Maria Elementary School Principal, an exceptionally qualified leader who brings a wealth of experience to this position! She has been a valued member of the Catalyst family for 15 years, a Golden Apple Scholar with experience teaching across all of our campuses. Her educational background is impressive, with a Master’s in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master’s in Educational Leadership, and a principal’s license all building upon her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education.
She will team with Dr. Jacqueline Baker as our new Principal of Catalyst Maria High School! Dr. Jacque Baker has been with Catalyst Schools for over 10 years, first as a contracted Teach For America (TFA) instructional coach for Maria and Circle Rock and then as the Humanities Director of Instruction for Catalyst Maria High School. For the last two years, she has served as a contracted leadership coach for nearly 30 K-12 Catalyst Maria leadership team members and teacher leaders and nearly 40 Catalyst Maria leaders in the last 4 years. Through her various roles in education, she has trained nearly 1,000 teachers, worked with nearly 100 schools in Illinois and Northwest Indiana, and developed over a dozen principals. Dr. Baker holds a Doctorate in education, specializing in curriculum and instruction for child and adult development, as well as organizational and school leadership and improvement. Prior to coming to Catalyst Circle Rock and Catalyst Maria as a TFA instruction coach, Jacque taught in both private Catholic and public schools as a TFA corps member.
Mrs. Henley and Dr. Baker are deeply committed to the success and well-being of our scholars, and we confident that under their leadership with the Director of School Operations Roxanne Salas (the first employee of Catalyst Maria in 2012!) and the rest of the team at CM, Catalyst Maria K-12 will thrive to its highest levels yet!