Kelly Cronin

Kelly Cronin is Upper School Director. She's received The Summit’s highest teaching recognition in 2014 when she was named the Schilderink Family Faculty Chair for Distinguished Teaching. She was first named Interim Upper School Director for 2019-20 and then named to the position in the first half of the year. She was Dean of Students in the Upper School from 2011 to 2015 with responsibility for student behavior. She has been an Upper School scheduling coordinator since 2007. As an emeritus member of the Blackbaud Learning Management System Advisory Board, she interacts with teachers nationwide about best practices in student records management. She is a member of the steering committee leading the school’s re-accreditation process through the Independent Schools Association of the Central States. She also served as social studies department coordinator and taught Advanced Placement (AP) European History and Honors Modern World History. Ms. Cronin has taught some of the most rigorous courses that the school offers and has led competitive extracurricular teams. She has mentored seven Summit students over the years whose research writing was published in the Concord Review, a national publication that champions high school research writing. She has led a string of Mock Trial teams to regional and state-level competitions since 2001. Ms. Cronin has been a member of the College Board AP World History Group since 2006 and the AP European History Teachers Group since 2001. She received an M.A. in Russian history with a minor in European history from Indiana University and a B.A. with distinction and department honors in history and Slavic languages and literature from Northwestern University. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After receiving her M.A. in Russian history, she spent two years in Russia studying the Russian language and history. Prior to her arrival at The Summit, she taught study skills and critical thinking at Miami University’s Hamilton campus and research methods at the University of Cincinnati.