Karen Barbosa & Jillian Giese

Karen Barbosa, M.Ed., and Jillian Giese, Ed.D., bring complementary leadership, vision, and heart to ST. MARY ACADEMY  –  BAY VIEW, shaping the academic experience and culture that surrounds this 151-year-old, Mercy Catholic, all-girls, Pre-K through Grade 12 school.

As Associate Head of School for Student Experience, Karen anchors her work in 20+ years of educational leadership across public and nonprofit settings. She has overseen initiatives spanning social-emotional learning, work-based partnerships, and the creation of a personalized secondary learning model that later served as a statewide example. At Bay View, she focuses on student well-being and belonging, ensuring the school’s values show up in daily practice. “I help shape how our mission is actually lived each day,” Karen says. “A girl’s daily experience of school shapes her confidence, character, and sense of purpose.” A strategic relationship-builder, she believes schools work best when adults model curiosity, responsibility, and compassion in action.

Jillian, Associate Head of School for Academics, has nearly a decade of educational experience in independent schools. She brings a lifelong connection to teaching that began at home. Raised in a family of educators, she came to value learning that is engaging, adaptive, and hands-on. “Schools should be places where students at every grade level engage in their learning with curiosity and wonder, are thoughtfully challenged to think deeply, and supported in their growth,” she says. Now leading curriculum, instruction, and professional growth across divisions, Jillian blends rigor with warmth.

Together, Karen and Jillian advance initiatives that broaden opportunities at Bay View to expand global learning experiences, student leadership development, and pathways that support belonging, well-being, and a voice across all divisions. Their work also includes strengthening partnerships and supporting faculty innovation efforts that sustain Bay View’s future, while honoring its mission. Grounded in the Mercy tradition, their leadership reflects a legacy of courage, compassion, and service. As Karen puts it, “When you lead with intention, the work feeds more.”

3070 Pawtucket Avenue, Riverside,
401-434-0113, bayviewacademy.org