Nutley Principal Will Take New Post In Livingston School District

LIVINGSTON, NJ — There will soon be a new principal in Livingston: Brooke Benavides.

The Livingston Public School District recently announced that Benavides will be taking over as the new principal at Riker Hill Elementary School. Administrators announced in June that principal Justin Toomey was resigning from his position after five years of service to take a new job as the superintendent of schools in Hanover Township.

Benavides is expected to begin her new position on Sept. 26 or possibly even earlier, if a replacement can be found for her current position in Nutley, where she serves as the principal of Lincoln Elementary School.

The Livingston Public School District’s two assistant superintendents will work with the Riker Hill team to oversee the transition and ensure a smooth opening in September, administrators said.

Benavides said she is “incredible honored and grateful” to take the reins at Riker Hill Elementary.

“As principal, I will foster an inclusive learning environment where every child's voice is valued and every child has the opportunity to discover and develop their unique talents,” Benavides said. “Building on the strong foundation already laid, together we will continue to cultivate a learning environment where students, staff, and families feel empowered and proud to be part of the Riker Hill ‘Ramily.’”

Benavides holds two master of science degrees from Nova Southeastern University: one in English education and another in educational leadership. Livingston school administrators shared the following additional background about her qualifications:

“For the past two years, Mrs. Benavides has served as the principal of Lincoln Elementary School in the Nutley Public School district. In this position, she developed, implemented and evaluated actions to achieve the vision for the school. With this in mind, she took pride in ensuring effective systems of operations were in place to facilitate effective school-wide routines and procedures. She also established and maintained positive relationships with families, ensuring regular communication and timely responses to individual concerns. Highlights of her tenure as principal at Lincoln Elementary School included developing the “Lincoln Leader” program to enhance school culture and implement a preventative approach to discipline, resulting in a reduction in disciplinary referrals; launching a school-wide writing initiative that provided students with opportunities to share their writing with real audiences; and collaborating with various stakeholders to launch a media center renovation project, in partnership with the PTO, to revitalize the library and bring diverse texts into the hands of the students.”

Livingston administrators continued:

“Prior to being appointed principal at Lincoln Elementary School, she was the PreK-12 English Language Arts Coordinator for Nutley Public Schools for eight years. During her tenure in Nutley, she also spent time as an Elementary Summer School Coordinator and supported staff as a Literacy Coach. Additional highlights of her career include earning the 2021 Visionary Leadership Award Nomination for Visionary Supervisor/Director of the Year and presenting a workshop at the 2022 NJPSA/FEA/NJASCD Spring Conference in Atlantic City on creating culturally responsive equitable classrooms and curricula.”

Benavides – who earned a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Muhlenberg College – is a member of the executive board of the Pushcart Players in Verona. She is also a member of the Actors Equity Association and has performed professionally in several local theater productions.

“Mrs. Benavides' high energy and enthusiasm about leading Riker Hill was evident throughout the interview process and I look forward to working with her,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Daniel Fishbein said.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Livingston Facebook page.