Superintendent Anna Nolin has announced three new roles in the district’s central office team as well as who will be filling them.
Christina Maryland will be the new director of communications and family engagement; Maria Kolbe will be the new director of Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS); and Jennifer Shore will be the director of Special Initiatives.
“These educators join a dynamic central office team, and we look forward to working together to serve Newton’s students,” Nolin said in announcing the changes, which are meant to strengthen student support needs, mental health and engagement with the community—all areas Nolin said needed work when she drafted her entry plan last year.
Christina Maryland
As director of communications and family engagement, Maryland will take on a redesigned role providing families with information and resources they need to advocate for their children.
Maryland has experience in public relations and engagement, having previously worked for the Boston public school system and the Massachusetts Trial Court system. Her specialty is matching a vision with to benefit families and remove barriers to success.
Maria Kolbe
Kolbe, new director of MTSS, has worked in Newton public schools since 2012, first as a special education teacher and later moving to elementary support and stabilization and then to elementary social and emotional learning.
Kolbe received her PhD in educational leadership from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in 2022.
“My time in Newton has shown me the tremendous dedication and skill of our educators, across all roles,” Kolbe said. “Looking ahead, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to partner with schools in removing structural barriers to student success, in service to creating the equitable, successful environments that our educators are so committed to actualizing.”
Jennifer Shore
Shore has worked as both a math coordinator and head of special initiatives for the past three years. As director of Special Initiatives/K-8 math coordinator, she’ll have both of those roles combined into one.
Shore’s new role will also include the development of a three-year professional development plan.
“I am looking forward to collaborating with colleagues to develop a plan for providing NPS educators with PD that will support both the district goals and their individual goals,” Shore said.
