Kent Place School announces new middle school director

SUMMIT, NJ — Kent Place School in Summit recently appointed Kooheli Chatterji, of Maplewood, as the school’s new middle school director, effective July 1.

“I am genuinely honored and delighted to be joining the Kent Place School community,” Chatterji said. “During my time on campus and in conversations with students, teachers, parents and administrators, I sensed the very palpable and powerful dedication to learning and growth. I found myself drawn to Kent Place’s tradition of academic excellence and its emphasis on the well-being of adolescents during this pivotal time in their lives. I look forward to donning green and gold this summer!”

A veteran administrator and educator in middle schools, Chatterji is a champion for adolescents and an accomplished leader in building healthy and equitable communities. For the past five years, she has been the middle and upper school division head at Chatham Day School, where she is responsible for overseeing all programs, faculty, staff and students within grades fourth through eighth grades and managing day-to-day operations of the division. Before Chatham Day, she was the middle school dean of students, an English teacher and a coach at the Pingry School in Basking Ridge. An expert in fostering diversity, equity and inclusion in education, Chatterji also served as director of programs and alumni affairs at New Jersey SEEDS.

“Ms. Chatterji’s experience as a curriculum leader, as well as her experience with and commitment to working closely with students, teachers and parents, impressed our search committee tremendously,” Kent Place Head of School Jennifer Galambos said. “Ms. Chatterji brings experience, passion and insight to her work. It’s an exciting time to be at Kent Place, and we’re thrilled to imagine the future of our middle school under Ms. Chatterji’s leadership.”

Chatterji, who graduated from an independent school, earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Wesleyan University. She is an avid reader and loves writing, music, and spending time with her daughter and husband.

“Kooheli understands the internal dynamics of middle schoolers as well as the complex group dynamics of which they are a part,” said David Lowry, current president of the NJAIS board of trustees and former interim head of school for Chatham Day School. “She holds the respect of her faculty and parents and is knowledgeable in curriculum development and teaching methods. As I have said on many occasions, ‘If my middle school child were under Kooheli’s care, I would sleep peacefully at night.’”

Chatterji is succeeding Karen Rezach, who led the Kent Place Middle School for 18 years. Rezach was appointed full-time director of the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School in July 2018.

  Kent Place School, Pingry School