Karen Cumberbatch

Karen joined Carolina Friends School as Head of School in 2017. Karen has a 27-year career in independent school administration, including 24 years in three different Quaker schools. Prior to Carolina Friends School, Karen was the Head of Upper School at Sandy Spring Friends School in Maryland. Beyond her teaching and administrative experience, Karen has led school-wide strategic planning and implementation, clerked numerous school committees, and developed a wide range of student leadership and staff professional development initiatives. She received her B.A. in Africana Studies from Cornell University and an M.A. in Afro-American Studies from UCLA. She earned a Graduate Certificate in Independent School Leadership from Johns Hopkins University and completed the Institute for Engaging Leadership with the Friends Council on Education. She has two children, one an alum of Carolina Friends School and the other an alum of Sandy Spring Friends School.