MacMullen Moves On From The Hill

After three decades at Hopkins, Dean of Faculty Carla MacMullen will be leaving The Hill to become Head of Kew-Forest School, the oldest independent school in Queens, New York. First a classroom teacher in the science, MacMullen has played a number of roles in diferent areas of Hopkins life, from administration to academics.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Denison University, MacMullen attended a graduate school doctoral program in Chemistry before discovering a placement agency that matched potential teachers with independent schools. Through this agency, MacMullen found Hopkins and started her work as a full-time science teacher, teaching chemistry and eighth grade science.

Since then, MacMullen’s role in the Hopkins community has expanded. For the past ten years, MacMullen has been the Dean of Faculty, an administrative role that manages faculty well-being. MacMullen has maintained a faculty review system, managed the hiring process at Hopkins, from reaching out to potential employees to running new faculty orientation, and overseen a master teacher and mentor program for new teachers.

Dean of Academics David Harpin, a colleague of MacMullen during her tenure, commented, “Carla has a top-notch knowledge of Hopkins and, more importantly, a love for Hopkins and its people. It’s hard to imagine someone more dedicated to education in all of its facets, from the fne detail work of scheduling to planning, each year, a rich program for professional development for the faculty. And she’s a great cook, too!”

Despite the magnitude of her administrative role, MacMullen has never left the realm of science, teaching Chemistry at the moment. A current student, Hannah Stelben ’19 said, “Mrs. MacMullen is very dedicated to the success of our class. She bakes on occasion, too, which is quite the treat!”

Elise Aslanian ’19, also in MacMullen’s Chemistry class, added, “Mrs. MacMullen is the best. She is always cheerful during class, and she makes chemistry more fun by relating it to real-life scenarios.”

Connor Hartigan ’19 said, “Mrs. MacMullen is one of the best teachers I have ever had. She goes miles out of her way to make sure students understand the material, really makes the class time count, and, perhaps most importantly, always makes the time for extra help.”

MacMullen has been an essential part of the Hopkins community, and has impacted many past students. MacMullen said, “I feel like anytime I get to see former students is an important time for me. It’s really awesome to catch up with students that I’ve taught and see what they’ve done in their lives and hear their refections about what Hopkins meant for them.”

MacMullen will be greatly missed at Hopkins next year by faculty and students alike. Chemistry teacher Kristen Abraham said, “I was lucky enough to work with Carla as a fellow chemistry teacher. Over the years we have spent signifcant time together preparing labs, writing exams and building our curriculum. She works hard to make her classroom experience the best it can and I will miss collaborating with her!”

Her current advisee, Olivier Kibbey’18 added, “Mrs. MacMullen is an indispensable part of my Hopkins career. She’s always been there when I have any sort of question, and it’s been a great three years having her as an adviser.”

As the fnal MacMullen of fve (three alumni children and her husband a former teacher) to leave the Hill, MacMullen’s legacy will remain in the years to come.