Natasha Padilla Goddard

For over 25 years, Natasha has been helping students and teachers find their voices, examine the richness of the human condition, and find inspiration through the written word. Prior to her work at EXPLO, Natasha was the Department Chair for English Language Arts at Wellesley Middle School, where she served on the School’s Leadership Team and the Academic Council for Wellesley Public Schools. While there, she diversified the curriculum with a myriad of books. She has taught at Moses Brown School, Noble and Greenough School, Northfield Mount Hermon Upward Bound, and University of Massachusetts/Noble Upward Bound. Her work with students and educators in both public and private schools with diverse student populations ignited her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion — not only in curriculum building, but also in hiring practices, teacher evaluation, and pedagogy.

Natasha began her EXPLO career as Dean of Students and went on to become Assistant Head before becoming Head of Program. She is a graduate of Bowdoin College, earned her Master’s in Teaching English from Columbia University Teachers College, and earned a second Master’s in Educational Leadership from Endicott College. She is the proud mom of three, a yoga enthusiast, and a passionate and award-winning soup chef.