Cristina O’Brien

Partner at The Institute for Self Directed Learning

Cristina’s passion for education developed in her undergraduate years at

Stanford University, during which she tutored, volunteered in

classrooms, and took education and childhood development courses. She

returned to Stanford for her Master’s Degree in education and afterwards

taught in a Title1 bilingual elementary school in San Francisco for

several years.

Hoping to create a personalized education experience for more students,

Cristina co-designed The Croft School, an independent elementary

school in Providence, RI. She taught the founding kindergarten class in

Providence and went on to co-found its sister school in Boston, MA,

where she continues to serve as a senior advisor. Throughout her

experiences in education, the importance of self-directed learning and

strong relationships have been guiding principles for Cristina, and she

brings those experiences and beliefs to her work through The Institute of

Self-Directed Learning.