Following a robust national search that attracted a deep pool of talented candidates, Colleen Shanley Kyle has been appointed as the next head of Upper School at The Rivers School, effective July 1, 2026. 

Karin Narcisse Stafford P’26, ’28 began her relationship with Rivers nearly 30 years ago as an Upper School French teacher, a grade dean, and an assistant coach for varsity field hockey. Midway through her Rivers career, she shifted to a role on the admission team as the director of multicultural outreach, where she leads the SOAR (Seeking Opportunities at Rivers) program, a recent initiative that gives prospective students from underrepresented groups an inside look at the independent school experience through two days of campus visits in the fall.