Faculty and Staff

From the classroom to the administrative offices and from coast to coast, Melissa has been deeply engaged in the practice of education with a keen eye on what leaders in our field are doing to prepare and engage students and to grow and support the faculty community.

Originally from Long Island, New York, Melissa earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Boston College. Having studied Italian, as well, she spent time living abroad in Florence and Parma, Italy, where she enjoyed connecting with friends and exploring the incredible history and art of the cities. As an undergraduate, Melissa knew that she would become an educator and her educational journey began in 2009 as a global history teacher at Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Over the course of 11 years, she had learned to design and re-design classroom experiences that center on the students and their voice and choice. While part of the Beaver team, Melissa became a Grade Dean for all grade levels of the Upper School and Technology Integration Specialist. In these roles, she has had the opportunity to collaborate with administration, work alongside faculty of all departments, and build partnerships with families. Most importantly, she has worked to cultivate connections with students through listening to their experiences as learners and young adults.

Melissa's most recent role was the Division Head of the Upper School at Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara. In this role, she faced considerable challenges head on, including a global health pandemic, school merger, operational strategy development, and several off-campus crises. Those three years grew her capacity at a significant pace for strategic planning, daily operations, relationship-building, and curricular development & alignment. It is her work at Laguna in the Admission Office that brought her the greatest joy and allowed her to work closely across the three divisions that made up the Ek-12 school community. And it is with much enthusiasm that she dedicates herself now to the role of Director of Lower School Admissions, at Brimmer and May where she seeks to focus on relationships, empathy, and inclusion in the work ahead.

Originally from Beverly, MA, Amanda spent 20 years in New York City and worked at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan and JCC Harlem for 12 years in a variety of managerial roles. Amanda is thrilled to be back in her home state and at Brimmer. Ms. Crater holds both a B.F.A. in Technical Theater and an M.A. in Arts + Humanities Education, both from New York University. A highlight of her career was working on Witness Theater, an inter-generational program bringing together Holocaust survivors and high school students to elicit, expose, and memorialize the moving stories of survival. She was drawn to Brimmer because of their global focus and D.E.I. work and is continually impressed by the faculty and staff and their dedication to the students.