School Leadership
Chris Torino, Head of School, earned his M.Ed. in School Leadership from Harvard University, his M.A. in English from the University of Louisville and his B.A. in English from Amherst College. He brings more than 30 years of experience in independent school education. From 2021 to 2026, he served as Assistant Head of School at Episcopal Academy near Philadelphia. From 2017 to 2021 he was Dean of Faculty at Collegiate School in New York City and from 2013 to 2016 he was Head of School at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts. From 2002 to 2016 he was at the Taft School in Connecticut, where he taught English, coached baseball and basketball, led a dormitory and served as Dean of Faculty. His career in education began with teaching and coaching roles at Gould Academy in Maine and as a founding faculty member at Sage Hill School in California. He has mentored graduate students in Penn’s School Leadership Program and Klingenstein Center’s Private School Leadership Program. He has served as a trustee for the Dobbs Ferry Public Library and Applewild School in Massachusetts.
Anne Gomez, Associate Head of School, earned her M.A. in educational studies from the University of Michigan, her M.A. in English literature from the University of Chicago and her B.A. in English from Macalester College. Prior to Blake, she served as Head of Upper School at the Castilleja School in Palo Alto, California. From 2016 to 2021 she was an Upper School Grade Dean at Blake and also taught courses in English and gender studies. Earlier in her career she led faculty professional development at Miss Hall’s School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and taught English literature courses at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield HIlls, Michigan. She is a former recipient of the yearlong Aspiring Heads Fellowship from the National Association of Independent Schools.
Division Directors
Maren Anderson, Upper School Director, earned her B.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from University of Colorado, Boulder. After serving as Director of Experiential Education and an Upper School Science Teacher at Drew School in San Francisco, Maren joined Blake in 2020 as PK-12 Science Department Chair. She is also a Research Associate researching humpback whales with Cetos Research Organization. Her previous experience includes serving as a National Environmental Policy Act biologist and project manager, conducting environmental impact studies for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal agencies.
Carly Andrews, Early Learning Center Director, earned her M.A. in English Literature from Middlebury College and her B.A. in English Literature from Cedarville College. She is currently working toward a Ph.D. in Child Development from Loyola University Chicago. She previously served as Executive Director of the Alliance for Early Childhood, where she designed and led professional learning for educators, parents, schools and community organizations. Her other positions include Head of School at Baker Demonstration School, Head of School at Willowwind School and Assistant Head of School and Middle School Head at Bosque School.
Robin Ferguson, Middle School Director, earned her M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of St. Thomas and her B.A. magna cum laude in Psychology from Carleton College. She is currently pursuing her Ed.S. and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Learning from the University of St. Thomas. Working with middle grades learners is her passion. She spent 13 years teaching social studies in the Minneapolis Public Schools and Humanities at Breck. Since 2013, she has been part of the Blake community as a Middle School Humanities teacher and administrator.
Tessa McKeown, Upper Elementary Director, earned her M.S. in Educational Leadership from NOVA Southeastern University in Florida and her B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Central Florida. Before joining Blake, she served as Director of Lower Elementary at Curtis School in Los Angeles and prior to that, she was Director of Curriculum and Instruction at Mirman School in Los Angeles. She also has 15 years experience as a lead teacher in first through fourth grade classrooms, as well as expertise in curriculum development and instructional coaching.