People & Contacts

List of 5 items.

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  Alona Scott, Head of School

  A native Angeleno and alumna of Marlborough School, Ms. Scott holds an AB in religion from Princeton University (cum laude) and two masters in education – the first in reading and literacy from Bank Street College and another in private school education from Columbia University, Teachers College. Since 2013, she has been the Head of School at Keys School in Palo Alto. Prior to that, Ms. Scott served as the Director of Middle School at the Hackley School, in Tarrytown, New York, and the Head of the Lower School at La Jolla Country Day School, in La Jolla, California. As a trustee at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos, she served as co-chair of the rabbinic transition and vision committees and a member of the strategic planning and trustee nomination committees.
  
  

  Alona may be reached at (818) 783-1610 ext. 701 or by email at ascott@buckley.org.
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  Lolli Lucas, Assistant Head of School

  Lolli Lucas comes to Buckley from Laguna Blanca in Santa Barbara; before that she was Upper School Director at Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth and Director of College Counseling at Brentwood School. A graduate of Vassar College majoring in psychology, Lucas also earned a doctorate in educational leadership from UCLA.
  
  Lolli can be reached at (818) 783-1610 ext. 702 or by email at llucas@buckley.org.
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  Gillian Bush, Head of Upper School

  Gillian Bush comes to Buckley from Windward School, where she served as the Associate Director of the Collegiate Division (grades 11-12) and a college counselor and science teacher since 2017. Her strong commitment to equity and fairness has resonated throughout her career in her work as an AP teacher, administrator, and college counselor. Gillian also taught at Polytechnic School and Harvard-Westlake School and served as executive director of Partnership for Success!, a collaboration between public and independent schools in Pasadena that funds summer enrichment for public school students. Her additional experience as a courtroom lawyer and restaurant owner have given her the tools, perspective, and empathy to handle everything from restorative justice to customer service!

  
  Gillian may be reached at (818) 783-1610 ext. 730 or by email at 
  gbush@buckley.org.
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  Don Smith, Head of Middle School

  Don comes to Buckley with 17 years of experience in education, having taught as a lower school assistant teacher at The Oaks, a seventh and eighth grade humanities teacher and advisory coordinator at Wildwood, and, most recently, the assistant director of middle school at Brentwood. Don is excited to join Buckley’s efforts to create a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community where students are known and recognized, and where teachers are passionate about incorporating innovative, project-based teaching practices into their classrooms. With experience overseeing advisory, creating faculty professional development to support the transition to remote learning, and developing systems for curricular audits, Don brings rich leadership experience to our community.
  
  

  Don may be reached at (818) 783-1610 ext. 775 or by email at dsmith@buckley.org.
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  Adrienne Parsons, Head of Lower School

  Adrienne Parsons began as a second-grade teacher in Buckley’s 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. Adrienne holds a bachelor's degree in education from Northwestern University and a master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. For six years she served on the school board of Good Shepherd School in Beverly Hills. She now serves on the Culver City Unified School District Tri-Selpa Committee.
  

  
  Adrienne may be reached at (818) 783-1610 ext. 760 or by email at aparsons@buckley.org.