Nathan is an assistant superintendent, LaRubbio Birches’ principal
A new school year brings with it new leadership roles.
The Washington Township board of education approved the appointments of Dr. Pamela Nathan as the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and Julie LaRubbio as principal at Birches Elementary School.
Both began their respective roles in July.
Nathan takes the position held by Jack McGee during the 2021-’22 school year. Administrators Dr. Steve Gregor and Gretchen Gerber shared those duties on an interim basis during the 2022-’23 school year, according to the district.
Nathan will serve through June 30, with an annual salary of $177,000. A former middle school science teacher, she came from the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, where she held the same position she now holds in Washington Township. Nathan had a similar role in the Freehold Township School District.
“Dr. Nathan joins Washington Township with a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to curriculum and instruction, and education in general,” Superintendent Dr. Eric Hibbs said. “We are very fortunate to be able to add someone with her credentials to our administrative team. Her leadership skills and diverse background will be a tremendous asset to our district.”
Nathan was also a school administrator in Union County, North Carolina. She earned her doctorate in educational leadership from Wingate University in North Carolina in 2012, and has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s in educational administration from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City.
In her new role, Nathan serves as district chief administrative officer in the absence of the superintendent and is the instructional and strategic leader for all teaching personnel. She is responsible for the oversight of the local professional development plan, in-service programs and budget preparation for all instructional areas.
Nathan will also visit classrooms and observe teachers, monitor the supervision/evaluation program and oversee curricular programs as approved by the board and superintendent. She will investigate parent and public concerns regarding instruction; oversee the standardized testing program; analyze master schedules; and monitor district priorities in staff development, recognition, gifted and talented education, drug and alcohol education and testing.
She will report on instructional accomplishments and areas needing attention, and maintain positive public relations within and outside district schools and in the community.
A mother of three adult children, Nathan also is an adjunct professor of educational counseling and leadership at Monmouth University, where she facilitates several graduate- and doctoral-level courses and performs strategic planning consultation for school district leaders.
Julie LaRubbio began her tenure as new principal at Birches Elementary School on July 5, replacing Tricia Holmes, now the principal at Thomas Jefferson Elementary. LaRubbio’s salary in her new role is $110,136.
She is a veteran of the Deptford school district, where she was vice principal at Lake Tract Elementary School, supervisor of curriculum for elementary and early childhood and the K-12 English as a Second Language supervisor during the 2022-’23 school year, according to the district.
“Julie LaRubbio is an energetic educator who brings more than two decades of experience in education to Birches Elementary School,” Hibbs noted. “She stood out in leadership roles at Deptford, and we look forward to having her do the same with the staff, students and community at Birches.”
LaRubbio began her teaching career in 1998 as a sixth-grade mathematics and English/language arts teacher at Saint Rose of Lima School in Haddon Heights. Two years later, she began teaching fifth grade in the Stratford School District and later taught eighth grade there until joining the Deptford schools in 2022.
Some of LaRubbio’s duties as principal will include monitoring all building functions, developing and implementing district curricula, organizing schedules and mentoring new teachers. She earned her bachelor’s in elementary education from West Chester University in 1998 and got a master’s in educational administration from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix.
LaRubbio and her husband, Frank, have four children.
