Karen Eshoo

Background

About Karen Eshoo

Karen began her tenure as Interim Head of School at Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park, CA in the summer of 2021, and was appointed Head of School in October of 2021. She previously served as Head of School at King School in Stamford, Connecticut and as the second Head of School of Vistamar School in El Segundo, California. Prior to becoming a Head of School she spent 20 years in independent schools as a teacher and leader. She taught upper school history and ethics, and then served as the Middle School Head and the 1st-8th Grade Principal at Sacred Heart Schools in Atherton, California – also her alma mater. She later served as the Assistant Head of School and taught history at Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco, California. She holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of San Diego, Masters degrees in Education and History from Stanford University, and an Ed.D from UC Berkeley. Her doctoral research focused on diversity and inclusion in independent schools in California, which has been one of her greatest passions and top priorities throughout her career. Karen currently serves as the faculty chair of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Institute for New Heads. She previously served on the Boards of the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS), the California Teachers Development Collaborative (CATDC), and the Independent School Alliance for Minority Affairs. Karen does her best to maintain a life outside of work as well, which includes as much time with her partner as possible given the long-ish distance. She is not a good athlete, but she is a consistent exerciser and an avid sports fan. When she is not out to dinner with colleagues or prospective donors, she is home cooking amazing dinners for friends and family and anyone else who might stop by. She is grateful for the many times she has deepened her perspective while being a foreigner in other countries - especially places where she did not speak the local language(s). When she really wants to challenge herself she takes on a cameo role in the school musical, tries some stand-up comedy, practices mindfulness, or leaves her emails unanswered for up to 24 hours.