menu graphic

Staff Directory

overlay graphic
overlay graphic Bio

Wanda Marie Holland Greene

Head of School

Wanda M. Holland Greene is Head of School at The Hamlin School in San Francisco, a mission-driven institution dedicated to best practices and innovation in the education of girls and young women. She is a nationally recognized and respected leader in education with a passionate voice and powerful presence that inspire communities to achieve equity and excellence for all children. For the past thirty-six years, Holland Greene has focused her professional time and attention on a wide and varied range of issues in education: K-12 curriculum design and instruction; mental health and emotional well-being; anti-racism and cultural humility; neurodiversity and learning differences; gender equity and stereotype threat in the classroom; effective non-profit governance; performance appraisal systems for teachers; and the impact of technology on education. She has taught, mentored, and inspired thousands of children and hundreds of adults on the east and west coasts, and her writing, speeches, seminars, and professional presentations have permeated the educational and political landscapes from San Francisco to New York City to Cape Town.

 

Prior to Holland Greene’s tenure at Hamlin, which began in 2008, she served for eleven years as a senior administrator at The Park School in Brookline, MA. She began her career in education in New York City at The Columbia Greenhouse Nursery School and continued thereafter at The Chapin School, where she was a teacher and the school’s first Director of Student Life. Currently, she serves as a member of the Board of Regents of Bishop O’Dowd High School and the Board of Trustees for the Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education. Past trusteeship includes: Vice-Chair of the Columbia University Board of Trustees; Head-Royce School, Lick-Wilmerding High School; Concord Academy; The Chapin School; and Hamilton Families. A former faculty member of the National Association of Independent School’s Aspiring Heads Fellowship, Holland Greene continues her mentorship and vigorous advocacy for heads of school as an executive coach.

 

A proud Brooklyn native, Holland Greene graduated from The Chapin School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Columbia College, majoring in English with a minor concentration in psychology. She holds a Master of Arts degree in curriculum and instruction and a Master of Education in private school leadership, both from Teachers College Columbia University.

 

Holland Greene’s career in education will be recognized by Columbia University in May 2026 when she will receive the Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service, their highest honor. In 2023, she was awarded the Education Award from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women (San Francisco chapter) and is also a 2020 recipient of the John Jay Award, an honor bestowed annually to Columbia College alumni for exceptional professional achievement. She was selected as a Pahara- Aspen Education Fellow at The Aspen Institute (2017-2020) and is a past recipient of the Alumna Achievement Award from Columbia College Women. She was named one of San Francisco’s Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business in 2014, and in 2015 was awarded a Women Making History Award by the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women.

 

Mary Oliver poetry, novels and memoirs by women of color, live music at SF Jazz, performances at Berkeley Repertory Theater, journal writing, and travel provide much-needed rejuvenation and quiet pauses between her commitments to her profession and to her spouse Robert L. Greene, Jr. and their sons David (21) and Jonathan (18).

Dear Hamlin Community,

 

As we open the doors to a brand new school year, I’m filled with both gratitude and excitement.

As the proud mother of Olivia (Class of 2027) and Juliette (Class of 2028), I’m honored to be entering my second year as Chair of Hamlin’s Board of Trustees and my seventh year of board service.

As I reflect on the year behind us and look ahead, I’m drawn to a tribute I recently shared with our board, honoring a remarkable cohort of departing trustees—leaders whose courage, wisdom, and deep commitment to Hamlin helped guide us through one of the most defining chapters in our school’s history.

These trustees—my peers, colleagues, and friends—joined the board in 2019. By the end of their first year, they were navigating the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and faced a pivotal decision: whether to move forward with our bold and transformative campus construction project amid profound global uncertainty.

With discernment and unwavering belief in Hamlin’s mission, they chose to proceed. It was a courageous, values-driven decision that continues to shape how I think about leadership and stewardship today. Their legacy reminds us that even in times of uncertainty, we must lead with both courage and care, always guided by the long view.

That spirit continues to inform our board’s work. As trustees, our charge is to lead with both imagination and accountability, always with our mission and CREED at the center. This year, our work focuses on ensuring Hamlin’s financial strength, with continued attention to our compensation strategy and long-term sustainability. We’ll also continue partnering with the school’s leadership team on key areas that shape daily life—from community well-being to the evolving role of technology in education.

At the same time, we’re beginning to shape the next chapter of Hamlin’s story by asking bold, forward-looking questions: How can we bring our strategic plan more fully to life so that it becomes a lasting bedrock for what’s ahead? How do we continue to care for and support every member of our community, ensuring that what we build is as vibrant and enduring as the legacy we inherit?

Last year, inspired by our “Tree Song” haiku, we grounded our work in intention and strengthened our canopy with conviction and vision. We swung together, supported by a foundation of care, trust, and shared commitment. This year, my hope is to deepen the roots of connection and nurture a future our girls so urgently need.

To all the parents, caregivers, faculty, staff, and alumni who make our work possible: thank you. Your partnership, engagement, and belief in Hamlin sustain and inspire us. On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we’re grateful for your trust and proud to walk this path with you.

We are only as strong as the community we build. And at Hamlin, that strength runs deep. It lives in our generosity of spirit, our shared sense of purpose, and our collective love for this school. Together, we’re shaping a future worthy of our girls.

Hamlin, and the mission that guides us, is as vital and relevant as ever. To our current and future extraordinary thinkers, courageous leaders, and individuals of integrity: let’s meet this moment with the grace, compassion, grit, and responsibility it demands.

We’ve seen what it looks like to lead with integrity and heart. Let’s take full advantage of the soil that has been cultivated, grow the roots that ground us and stretch the branches of what’s possible. In doing so, we will build a Hamlin that reflects the very best of who we are and who we hope to become.

Wishing you all a wonderful school year ahead.

 

With Gratitude,

Kelsey Lamond
Chair, Board of Trustees

 

 

 

As a culminating class project, Grade 8 students collaborate creatively on a scripted or devised performing arts production to perform for the Hamlin community in June before their graduation. This musical production offers students an opportunity to develop and share their skills in music, dance, acting, and visual design (with set, props, costumes, and lighting) while bonding together as a class. Students work on their performing arts project over the course of the spring semester. These annual Grade 8 musical productions are based on meaningful content aligned with Hamlin’s mission and Creed and have been a favorite school tradition, and are now even better on the stage in our new performing arts center!

 

Rise to the Challenge (RTC) is our Grade 7 capstone project that encourages students to think deeply about and explore solutions to the challenges of their time. As part of this project, they take service learning field trips throughout the year to volunteer and learn more about the issues facing our local community and our world, and work in small teams to identify, research, and propose solutions to a specific challenge that they are passionate about.

 

Grade 6 ends the school year with an interdisciplinary project focused on presentation skills, team building, and self-reflection, where students create a range of pieces to share their learnings and educate the community on social issues through research, presentations, and art. The project, typically called the Symposium, shifts its format and focus from year to year, but it will remain a multi-disciplinary research and performance project that builds on and extends the skills learned throughout the year, concluding with various performances on historical and current topics to deepen students’ understanding of the challenges in the world and encourage them to be agents of change, as they take action to improve their community.

 

Our reimagined 5th grade capstone program directly addresses the critical need for financial literacy and entrepreneurial education among young women. By integrating these topics into the core curriculum, we empower students with essential knowledge in financial planning, investing, and business leadership—areas where many women express a desire for deeper understanding. Drawing inspiration and expertise from our dynamic Hamlin alumni and parent community, the capstone cultivates financial confidence and entrepreneurial thinking, laying the groundwork for future independence, expanded opportunity, and a stronger voice in the economic sphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Jan Micha Influential Women in History Program is a way for Grade 4 students to learn about women who have made significant, positive, and often overlooked contributions that have changed the course of American herstory. Research, public speaking skills, and learning about different experiences through influential women’s stories are core principles of this project. Originally called the Famous American Women Program, it was renamed in 2015 to honor one of the program’s founders and beloved member of Hamlin’s faculty for over 30 years, Jan Micha.

In Social Studies, Grade 3 students spend the year focused on California: its people, its geography, and the events that have shaped it. Students study the state’s geography by looking at different regions and resources, as well as the often untold stories of California’s Indigenous People both past and present. They end the year by analyzing the movement of people throughout California and reading books about immigration.

 

Grade 2 students see a mini golf course through from ideation to completion. As part of this project, students work in teams to design a golf hole - they name it, make it challenging using angles, ramps, and obstacles, and even pick its par before creating a presentation for classmates using photos and videos about their design. They also visit local mini golf courses to practice their putting and learn more about the craft. Finally, students bring their visions to life and then invite parents and other grades to come try out their mini golf course! Through this project, students are able to get active while developing skills in math, robotics, creating and delivering presentations, and teamwork!

 

Grade 1 spends the year studying community and neighborhoods. Students ask themselves essential questions such as: What is my role as a community member? How can I help my community or neighborhood? What are my responsibilities as an individual and group member? What does safety within a community look, feel, and sound like? The study culminates with a hands-on project in which students build a model of the surrounding neighborhood, interview community members that contribute to the greater whole (i.e. librarians, mail person), and integrate the interviews directly onto the model using QR codes. Through this project, students learn about the physical aspects of neighborhoods, cardinal directions, community jobs, and developing interview skills.

 

Every spring, our Kindergarten classes begin their Emergent Units. The themes of these units are completely student driven, different between the classes, and vary every year. Themes are based on class discussions around interests and curiosities. Once the theme is determined, homeroom teachers get to work connecting with outside specialists and our in-house specialist teachers to integrate local and diverse activities and guest leaders to heighten the learning experience. The culminating project is then shared with the larger community through performances, public speaking, and interactive, hands on opportunities.

 

Bacon ipsum dolor amet swine brisket drumstick sausage turducken. Sirloin beef bacon fatback capicola short loin, filet mignon hamburger drumstick. Cupim shankle picanha biltong, pork chop pig alcatra kevin cow. Turkey flank pork hamburger, corned beef burgdoggen t-bone tri-tip shankle chicken buffalo tenderloin.