Behind the Scenes

Founder / Executive Director

sgiven@thecroftschool.org

“They may not be household names like Elon Musk or Sheryl Sandberg, but throughout the country… education innovators are inspiring fellow educators and improving education for America’s students. These are innovators like Scott Given who has launched new public schools that are quadrupling students’ proficiency levels.” - U.S. Secretary of Education, October 2015

Scott has worked as an award-winning educator for nearly twenty years: as a teacher, principal, and nonprofit founder and leader. Most recently, Scott founded and led a nonprofit education organization that opened six highly-acclaimed schools, serving more than 3,000 students, throughout Massachusetts. The nonprofit was named the National Education Reform Organization of the year in 2012. Before this, Scott was the principal of a charter middle school in Boston. During the final year of Scott’s tenure at the school, its students were the top-achieving math and reading students among any public middle school in Massachusetts, at the time an unprecedented accomplishment for an urban public school in Massachusetts history. Scott started his education career as a high school history teacher and athletics coordinator. Before working in education, Scott served as a management consultant. Scott is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School. He completed the prestigious Broad Academy Fellowship in 2015-2016.

Scott resides with his wife Sarah, two sons (both Croft students), and their golden-doodle Henry (who makes an occasional appearance at Croft).

Chief Program Officer

B.A. Clark University, M.S. Simmons College
ewalsh-hagan@thecroftschool.org

Erin joined Croft in 2022. Erin is honored to be part of the collaborative, inclusive, and diverse Croft community. She believes strongly in Croft's commitment to ensuring all students are seen, challenged, loved and supported.

Before joining Croft, Erin co-led a national fellowship program where she coached leaders in designing, founding, and leading high-quality and equitable public schools in traditionally underrepresented communities. Prior to this, Erin coached and managed leaders at a highly-acclaimed non-profit organization focused on school turnaround. Before coaching leaders, she proudly served as the Head of School for a nationally recognized charter school. In the early years of her career, Erin taught students with diverse learning needs and spent time as reading specialist and instructional coach.

Outside of Croft, Erin loves spending time with her husband and two children, Aine and Aodhan. In her free time, you can find her reading, lifting weights, taking long walks, or at a soccer field!

Chief Operating Officer

B.A. George Washington University
M.S. Northeastern University
kmahoney@thecroftschool.org

Kate joined Croft in 2022. She values an educational experience where school is exciting, balanced, and has a strong sense of community. Croft is all of these things and more and she is grateful to be part of the team.

Before joining Croft Kate coached and managed school based operational leaders at a non-profit school turnaround organization in Massachusetts. Prior to this, Kate spent time in Baltimore, Maryland as the Regional Director of Operations for a nationally-recognized charter school network, where she coached operational leaders and streamlined operational functions across the organization. Prior to this, she served as Director of Operations for a high performing charter school in Boston where she was a founding team member and led the school through their expansion phase of growth. Kate began her career in education in Connecticut, on the founding teams of two charter schools.

Outside of Croft, Kate enjoys spending as much time as possible with her husband, daughter, and Yorkie. In her free time, she enjoys being outside, going on long walks/runs by the ocean, taking hot sculpt classes, and reading.

Chief People Officer

B.S., University of Hartford
M.A., Southern Connecticut State University
C.A.G.S., Johnson & Wales University

dtracey@thecroftschool.org

Donavan joined The Croft School because of its dedication to student personalization, cultivating strong family relationships, and project-based learning. These elements create a unique and meaningful educational experience, and he is excited to contribute to the excellence of our community.

Before joining The Croft School, Donavan built a distinguished career in education spanning over 15years in teaching, school leadership, and organizational development. Most recently, he served as aschool principal, focusing on improving organizational health, student behavior, and attendance and achieving transformative outcomes for his school community. He began his journey in education as a classroom teacher, where he developed a passion for student-centered learning and data-driven instruction.

Outside of his role at The Croft School, Donavan enjoys spending quality time with his family, reading, watching movies/tv shows, and playing basketball. He is a loving husband to his wife, Courtney, and a devoted father to his daughter, Kennedy. He is completing his Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Johnson & Wales University, with graduation anticipated in May 2025. His passion for education is further demonstrated as an adjunct professor of education and a mentor with the National Fellowship of Black and Latino Male Educators.