Head of School Homecoming

It is with great pleasure that we introduce Natalie Cirigliano Brosnan ‘02, Ed.D., as Mercy’s Head of School. She is an alumna and our former Assistant Principal for Student Life. Born and raised in Burlingame, she graduated from St. Catherine of Siena before attending Mercy and becoming a student athlete and the Valedictorian of her class.

Natalie graduated from UCLA with a degree in Psychobiology, and holds an Ed.D and Master of Arts in Catholic Educational Leadership and a minor in Educational Technology from the University of San Francisco. After leaving her role in Mercy Administration in 2015, she became the Principal of Holy Name School in San Francisco. She served on the Board of Trustees for Mercy San Francisco and assisted Sr. Carolyn Krohn through the summer of 2018 in the midst of their leadership transition. We sat down to talk about her Homecoming:

You are a proud Mercy Alumna! What are some of your strongest memories from your time here as a student?

I have so many amazing memories as a student at Mercy. My academic and extracurricular experiences were equally important to me. I found that no matter what activity I was part of, I was always mentored by my coaches and teachers, and every one of them showed me glimpses of Mercy that defined my education and my love for the school. The best gift my parents could have ever given me was my gift of a Mercy education. I am a firm believer that I am who I am because of this school. My parents gave me my roots and Mercy gave me my wings and for that I will forever be thankful.

The past few years have been quite a whirlwind for you! What experiences leading Holy Name (as Principal) and Mercy SF (as Chair of the Board) helped hone your skills to prepare you to take the helm at Mercy Burlingame? I think the most important lesson I have learned about leadership is that every day is about triage and prioritizing all decisions. My decisions are always based on the school’s mission and student safety, and I believe it is critically important to never lose sight of the core principles and values of the mission. The breadth of my experiences have given me a deep understanding of fiscal responsibility and how to make tough financial decisions that are best for the community. I have already relied on my experience at Holy Name of leading a three-year retrofit and remodeling project. As we begin to plan for our Athletic and Student Life Center, I know that my previous work will play a tremendous role in my ability to lead this project forward.

The values of the Sisters of Mercy permeate our campus and culture. What aspects of their mission do you connect with most? The Mission is the most important piece of our education, because it is what makes Mercy, Mercy. In the simplest terms, the Mercy Mission invites us all to be the best versions of ourselves by giving to others and bringing compassion and empathy into our daily thoughts and interactions. Our foundress Catherine McAuley wanted to make a difference in any way she could, and I think that is a wonderful example to our students. The Campus Ministry Team does such a phenomenal job of offering students opportunities to get involved in a number of faith formation and service learning activities that bring the Works of Mercy alive.

What do you want your legacy to be? Something that is very important to me is that everyone in the community, whether or not they are already familiar with our school, experiences Mercy’s mission through their interactions with me. I will work not only to preserve Mercy’s mission and rich culture, but actively encourage our branding, admissions, and fundraising to grow even more. I am a hard worker who is not afraid of a challenge, so I look forward to leading administrative, academic, and fundraising initiatives that help us further develop innovative programs and update the school’s buildings and infrastructure. Of course it would be a wonderful gift, especially as an alum, to open the doors to our Athletic and Student Life Center and this is at the forefront of our goals. What an opportunity - to have a space for the entire school to gather, a ‘home-gym advantage’ for our volleyball and basketball teams, and a facility to host our community!