Faculty & Staff

Mrs. Lara is in her first year as MDA’s principal. Her new role at MDA marks her return to San Francisco where she was raised. After her graduation from Corpus Christi Catholic School in the Excelsior District her family relocated to the East Bay, where she attended Carondelet High School.

She brings extensive teaching and leadership experience at schools with missions similar to ours at MDA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English (Magna Cum Laude), with a minor in Spanish from the University of San Diego, and her Master of Arts in English (Magna Cum Laude) from California State University, Hayward. She has also earned her administrative credential at Loyola Marymount University as part of a cohort of Principals and Educational Leaders of Color through the Diversity in Leadership Fellowship (DLI). The program provides leaders to explore Culturally Responsive School Leadership (CSRL) to create transformative change in school communities.

“This is more than a job to me; this is my calling. I am back home. My students are me and they are my children.” 

Natalie has chosen the theme for this year to be: Rebuild. Restore. Reconnect. In this spirit, Natalie is doing the following:

Natalie is transforming our discipline system to one that aligns more to restorative practices to get to the root of issues and change behavior through learning as opposed to strictly relying on punitive measures.  She is supporting our teachers in a way that helps them be the best educators our students deserve. Through her six professional development arcs and teacher coaching model, she is helping our teachers to grow their craft.  She is working closely with parents to communicate clearly and ensure outside events happen so the community continues to connect.