DIANE J. HULSE
HEAD OF SCHOOL

Diane J. Hulse began her tenure as Staten Island Academy’s Head of School on July 1, 2002. She is the 15th head of school since the school’s founding in 1884.

Mrs. Hulse is a graduate of Beloit College and has a Master's degree from New York University.

A noted educator and administrator, Mrs. Hulse was the Head of the Middle School at Collegiate School for ten years. She has been involved in New York City area independent schools for twenty-five years, seventeen of which have been as a school principal. Mrs. Hulse served as the director of the Woodward Park School (now the elementary division of Poly Prep Country Day School) in Brooklyn, New York, and as the headmistress of the Bergen School in Jersey City.

Mrs. Hulse began her career as a teacher and curriculum innovator at Friends Seminary in Manhattan, where she held many positions during her nine years at the school. She worked closely with high school students as director of the summer institute and as director of college counseling from 1980-84.

A member of the Commission on Accreditation for the New York State Association of Independent Schools from 1992-2000, Mrs. Hulse is active in chairing school accreditation teams. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Boys' Schools: An International Coalition and chaired the Coalition's long range planning process. She is a former member of the Committee on School and College Relations of the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges. Mrs. Hulse has served on numerous professional panels throughout her career and participated in many leadership institutes, including Stanford University's "Leadership for Women," and the 1997 Harvard University Principals Center's "Leadership, an Evolving Vision."

Mrs. Hulse has spoken widely and been interviewed frequently on the topic of boys' education. She is the author of Brad and Cory: A Study of Middle School Boys (University School Press: 1997). Her speaking engagements have included: The American Psychological Association 1997 Annual Meeting, "Race and Gender in Schools at Teachers' College, Columbia University," The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), "Boys' Schools - An International Coalition," and Barnard College's symposium on single-sex education. Mention of her work has been made in such publications as The Christian Science Monitor, Education Week, and Dr. William Pollack's Real Boys. In the fall of 2000, Mrs. Hulse was the only American invited to participate in the accreditation visit of Upper Canada College, a boys' school in Toronto. Her current interest is the impact of children's gender, both boys and girls, on their success in school.

Working with The Fresh Air Fund, Mrs. Hulse is the founding director of Project: B.O.Y.S. (Building On Your Success), a summer institute whose mission is to develop the communication and leadership skills of inner city boys. She has experience in independent school governance, serving as a member of the Board of the Caedmon School from 1990 to 2000.

In 2003, Mrs. Hulse was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center. She also serves as a constituent member on the Noble Maritime Collection Board of Trustees.

In 2007, Mrs. Hulse was elected Treasurer of the Guild of Independent Schools of New York City.