Kelly Sortino

Kelly Sortino’s tenure as the seventh head of school started in July 2019 following an intensive, open, international search. She emerged as the obvious choice to architect Crystal’s next strategic plan, to drive Crystal’s long-term goal of One Crystal on two campuses, and to expand and innovate the curriculum, faculty development initiatives, and facilities master plan.

Kelly embodies Crystal’s values, delights in working with students and teachers, and is empathetic and collaborative. She has successfully led the Upper School for the past seven years and headed the College Counseling office from 2009-2012. She has demonstrated strategic thinking and thought leadership in overhauling the College Counseling office, leading the AP task force, spearheading our Challenge Success partnership, and driving Crystal BEST to reduce stress and balance homework while maintaining the high academic quality for which Crystal is renowned.

Prior to joining Crystal, Kelly was an English teacher, an admissions officer at Princeton, a consultant at Boston Consulting Group, and an intern at Google. She holds an MBA and M.Ed. from Stanford and an A.B. in Art and Archaeology from Princeton, where she graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She was a semi-professional dancer and a varsity golfer at Princeton. Kelly is a true scholar-athlete-artist who understands the importance of athletics and the arts to the student experience.