Larry W. Dougherty, Ed.D., Head of School

Larry W. Dougherty, Ed.D., joined The Buckley School in July 2006, bringing more than 30 years experience in leadership positions in both independent and public schools. Before coming to Buckley, he had been headmaster for 11 years at the American Overseas School of Rome, a 60-year-old international K-12 school. Prior to Rome, he had been headmaster of Graland Country Day School in Denver.

Dr. Dougherty has a B.A. degree from Wesleyan and a doctorate of education degree from Harvard University. His posts in public education include serving as superintendent of schools in Fairfield, Conn., assistant superintendent of elementary education in Greenwich, Conn., and elementary principal in Brookline, Mass. He began his career teaching sixth grade and high school history.

Dr. Dougherty also served as assistant director of the Brookline Early Education Project, a collaborative research project with Children’s Hospital and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The project studied the impact of providing health and developmental services for children and their families from three months before birth until entry into kindergarten.

He has worked with students with severe reading problems in a program associated with Dr. Edwin Coles, noted neurologist and head of the Massachusetts General Hospital Reading Clinic. While in Connecticut, Dr. Dougherty directed a training program for principals called "Developing a Vision of Excellence: A Leadership Institute for Principals."

James Busby, Assistant Head of School

James Busby joined Buckley in 2011 as assistant head of school. His core responsibilities include implementation of Buckley's strategic plan, oversight of the diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion and transportation programs, and, heading the Senior Academic Team and the school's Curriculum Committee. Busby hails from Saint Ann's School, a highly regarded pre-K - 12 school in Brooklyn, where he was assistant head of school and dean of faculty. A member of the Saint Ann's faculty for 25 years, Busby taught music, PE (yoga), theatre and history, and chaired the Music Department for 10 years before he was appointed assistant head of school in 2007. He has lectured or conducted at Hunter College, Princeton University and Eton College, and was founding music director of Grace and Spiritus Chorale of Brooklyn. He graduated magna cum laude with a BM in Music Education and an MM in Choral Conducting with distinction from Westminster Choir College, and completed his doctoral coursework in Musicology at The Graduate Center at the City University of New York.

Deborah Monroe, Upper School Principal

Deborah Monroe joined Buckley last year from Viewpoint School where she served in various roles including Upper School Principal for three years, and Director of Upper School Academic Advising and World Languages Department Chair for three years. Previously, Monroe was with St. John’s School in Houston, one of the most academically demanding independent schools in the U.S., for nearly 10 years. Her roles there included serving as Foreign Language chair for six years and participating in the school’s Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) program. Monroe has BA and MA degrees from Texas A&M and completed her doctoral coursework in Foreign Language Education and Curriculum Instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the recipient of three Fulbright grants for international educational exchange studies.

Dina Figueroa, Upper School Assistant Principal

Dina Figueroa has been the Upper School’s assistant principal since 2005. She previously was senior associate director of admissions at California Institute of Technology. She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in American Studies, and has a law degree from University of California, Los Angeles.

Neal Roden, Middle School Principal

A Buckley veteran of more than 20 years, Neal Roden was instrumental in the formation of Buckley’s Middle School, which he has led since 1991. Roden joined Buckley as a teacher in the Lower School and has taught first through 12th grade in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Haverford College, and currently serves on the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council and on the Board of Trustees of the Hollywood Schoolhouse.

Adrienne Parsons, Lower School Principal

Adrienne Parsons began as a second grade teacher in the Lower School in 1988. She was named assistant principal in 1993 and she directed the Buckley Preschool from 1997 through 2004. In 2001, she became principal of the Lower School. Parsons has a bachelor's degree in education from Northwestern University and a master's degree from University of California, Los Angeles. She serves on the school board of Good Shepherd School in Beverly Hills.

Carolyn Mogen, Lower School Assistant Principal

In her more than 30 years at Buckley, Carolyn Mogen has worn many hats. She has taught first, third and sixth grades and served as director of the mathematics curriculum, the Lower School Summer Program and Afterschool Programs. Mogen was named the Lower School’s assistant principal in 2001. She has a BS from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota and a master’s of science in administration from Pepperdine University.