School Leadership
Anne Stavney, Head of School, earned her Ph.D., M.A. and B.A. in English from the University of Washington and her first B.A. in Government from Smith College. Since joining Blake in 2012, she has led the school in a successful $80 million comprehensive campaign; overseen seven capital projects including a new science wing, entry hall, dining commons and Early Learning Center; developed a global immersion program and a computer science program; and significantly revised the school’s curricula in world languages, literacy and mathematics. She serves as a board member on the Children’s Theatre Company of Minnesota and chairs its Education Committee; as a trustee and vice-chair of the School Year Abroad board; and as a member of the Independent Schools Association of Central States (ISACS) board where she also serves on the ISACS Accreditation Review Committee. Before joining Blake, Dr. Stavney served as Assistant Head of School and Middle School Director at her alma mater, Lakeside School in Seattle.
Anne Graybeal, Associate Head of School, Interim Lower School Director, earned her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania, her M.A. in English Literature from Georgetown University and her B.A. cum laude in English Literature and French Literature from Pomona College. In addition to serving as an Academic Dean at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth, she has taught English at the Madeira School, the United States Senate Page School, and the Webb Schools, where she served as English Department Chair and received the Thompson and Vivian Webb Award for Excellence in Teaching. She joined Blake as Upper School Director in 2010 and taught both American Literature and AP English 11.
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.
Joe Ruggiero, Upper School Director, earned his Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders/Language and Cognition from Northwestern University. He has a B.A. in English from Vassar College and also studied literature and linguistics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. He joined Blake as Upper School Director in 2015, after serving for 13 years as Head of Upper School and four years as a teacher at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago. Prior to that, he was the Academic Dean at The Kildonan School in New York, as well as a lecturer, diagnostician and clinician in the Department of Education and the Learning Disabilities Clinic at Northwestern University.
Toya West, Early Learning Center Director, earned her M.S. in Educational Administration from the University of Kansas and her B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Valdosta State University. After working in day and boarding schools for several years, she spent 13 years both teaching and leading in international schools in Thailand, South Korea, Ecuador and Spain. Her passion for and experience with the International Baccalaureate program and Reggio Emilia philosophy led her back to back to the U.S. to work in early childhood education in New York. Before coming to Blake, she was the founding Director of Early Learning at the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York.