Dr. Toni Brown
Principal
415-927-6978 ext. 2152
tbrown@lcmschools.org

As an educator, I have held various roles that have spanned K-12 public education. My educational career started as an elementary teacher in Kindergarten and Fifth grades in ABC Unified School District where I quickly learned I wanted to do more to support students. It was this teaching experience that led me to my next stage of impact and professional growth to pursue my Master’s in School Counseling.  While pursuing this coursework, I made the transition to middle school where I taught 8^th grade science and math in both ABC and Tustin Unified School Districts. After completing my Master’s degree in Counseling at Loyola Marymount University, I left the classroom to become a Middle School Counselor where my passion for advocating for families and students was born.  I spent five years as the Counselor at Oak Middle School in Los Alamitos Unified School District supporting students with critical high school course planning and college entrance counseling. 

This experience ignited my desire to become a change agent in schools and prompted me to begin the doctorate program in Educational Leadership at the University of Southern California. Graduating in May of 2012, I was already in pursuit of my next professional challenge and I was fortunate to assume the role of Assistant Principal at Manhattan Beach Middle School. In this role I quickly became a part of the MBUSD family and was welcomed by the community at large. Three years later, I was given the honor of leading Pennekamp Elementary to serve as Principal. In the last year I have worked with various non-profit groups and most recently launched a blended online personalized learning platform, which included a-g courses for high school students seeking course advancement. In addition, I am currently teaching at USC in the Rossier School of Education Counseling department as adjunct faculty as well.

It is my combined experience and background in education that has led me to Larkspur-Corte Madera Schools to support children and families within the district. I feel privileged to be a part of this amazing community!

Melanie Harris
Assistant Principal 
(415) 927-6978 ext. 2153
mharris@lcmschools.org

I am excited to begin working as a Hall Cougar and continue working with the team at Neil Cummins.  A little bit about who I am and what inspires me every day.  I received my Bachelor's Degree from Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and my first master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy at the University of Utah.  I have always loved learning opportunities; the opportunity to grow as an individual and to spark this love of learning within others has always been a passion of mine.  I attribute this to the way I was raised.  I grew up with parents who were both educators.  But it was my mother’s love of questioning the world around her that has been foundational to the way I live my life, and how I approach learning.  She grew up in the Bay Area and shared her love of this area with me through a scientific lens of observing, questioning, and inquiring.

I have been in education for 27 years.  During this time, 15 of my years have been spent in the classroom as a teacher; the three years at Neil Cummins.  The remaining 12 years, I worked as an instructional coach and district lead teacher, a state MTSS mentor, and a national instructional consultant.  I have had the opportunity to learn from and work with communities across the country, including Utah, New York, California, the US Virgin Islands, etc.  Each community has brought a different lens for learning about diversity of thought, equity, educational access, and school culture.  

To me, education is a journey of inquiry into understanding the world around us.  Every journey has choices that need to be made and challenges that we have to work through.  Coupling a growth mindset and inquiry where we question what is the best path to go down, helps each of us to select the tools to use, and utilize the understandings and skills that we have in order to make decisions is at the heart of learning.  I love this community and look forward to each new day working and learning here.