GREENHILLS HIRES MAYRA DIAZ TO BE HEAD OF MIDDLE SCHOOL

After a national search that included both internal and external candidates, Greenhills School has selected Mayra Diaz to be its next head of middle school, effective July 1, 2023. 

Diaz comes to Greenhills from Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C., where she has taught and served in leadership positions for the past 23 years. This includes seven years as English department chair and, most recently, 12 years as middle school assistant principal. 

“Mayra is a seasoned teacher and administrator,” said Greenhills Head of School Peter B. Fayroian. “She has devoted her career to middle schoolers and demonstrated a genuine affection for and commitment to young learners. She understands and appreciates them developmentally, and is equally excited to lead our faculty and be a resource for middle school parents.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in English from Colby College, Diaz became a teaching fellow at The Steppingstone Foundation in her hometown of Boston, working primarily with 6th and 7th grade students. Diaz went on to earn her master’s of science in education from Johns Hopkins School of Education, including certificates in Educational Leadership for Independent Schools and Leadership for School, Family and Community Collaboration. 

“For me, it has always been a privilege to work with middle school students whom I believe are far too often underestimated,” Diaz shared when applying to Greenhills. “I appreciate your school’s mission, namely your guiding principles and focus on student-centered learning which resonates greatly with my own values as an educator and school leader.”

During the interview process on campus, Diaz met with students, faculty and parents, all of whom expressed enthusiasm for her candidacy, noting her warmth and passion for middle school students. 

“She is a true lover of and believer in middle schoolers,” said one faculty member who met with her. “She lights up when talking about middle school students and spaces and their potential.”

Another future colleague added, “When talking with our students, Mayra greeted them with warmth making them feel comfortable and open to sharing their many experiences and observations with her.”

Diaz will be joined in Ann Arbor by her partner Franco, while her daughter Gabi begins college this fall.