District 9 Team Member Spotlight

Kristin Erat, Director of Leadership Development

Kristin Erat deeply believes in the power and potential of our District 9 students, educators, and families.

Mrs. Erat is a dynamic and grounded educational leader with a clear mission and ability to bring vision into action, dreams to reality. She brings over twenty years of experience in creating supportive learning environments and motivating children and adults to the District 9 Team. Kristin serves as Director of Leadership Development for D9: coaching new leaders, building pipelines to leadership, and committed to creating a learning culture that nurtures growth for all and improved outcomes for our District 9 students.

Mrs. Erat launched her career in education as a 5th grade teacher in Crown Heights Brooklyn and then answered the call to leadership in the Bronx. Kristin and her team opened Grant Avenue Elementary School in 2009. The school continues to thrive today as a strong and collaborative community where students, families, and educators build safe and trusting relationships and honor individual and collective strengths as the foundation for collective success. A testament to Erat's commitment to distributive leadership, Grant is now led by a superstar founding teacher, Diana Castillo.

Kristin is a graduate of Northwestern University and Brooklyn College. Kristin is committed to student and adult learning and served for over ten years as a Model Principal in NYCDOE’s Learning Partners and Lighthouse Programs. Erat engaged in inquiry as a Cahn Fellow and continues to transform herself, her District, and her NYC as a Gray Fellow. Kristin lives in the Bronx with her husband, daughter, and pets. If you need a thinking partner, she is just an email or call away.

As always, don't hesitate to reach out with questions, concerns, inspiration, or innovations.