Directory

Javier Caballero joined the Rivers community in August 2024 as the inaugural executive director of performing arts. In this new role, Javier is responsible for strategic vision and administrative oversight of The Rivers School Conservatory (RSC) and the Performing Arts Department at The Rivers School, including its signature Conservatory Program. Javier holds graduate degrees in cello performance from the Boston Conservatory and undergraduate degrees in music education and cello performance from the University of South Florida. He is a seasoned performer with a strong professional network throughout New England. Javier recently served as the executive director of the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in New Hampshire, where he strove to create a welcoming, inclusive community for chamber music players at all levels and from all backgrounds. Before taking on the Apple Hill role, Javier was artistic director of Project STEP, a string training program for students from communities underrepresented in classical music. He also served as scholarship and recruitment manager for From The Top, the NPR showcase for young classically trained musicians.

Mac Caplan has taught Upper School English since 2005. Currently, he advises, serves as head coach of the varsity golf team, and coordinates the senior speech program. The English department chair from 2015 to 2024, Mac also previously coached girls’ soccer and baseball, oversaw the Sages & Seekers program, served as a course counselor, and co-coordinated the 2023-24 AISNE Self-Study and Accreditation process, among other responsibilities. He received the Mida van Zuylen Dunn Award for Teaching in 2011 and was named a Senior Teacher in 2017. Mac earned a BA from Yale University and an MA from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. Outside of school, he is a competitive squash player, avid golfer, and voracious reader.

Meredith Caplan teaches Upper School English and serves as ninth-grade dean. Prior to joining Rivers in 2013, she taught and coached at Newark Academy in New Jersey and at The Hotchkiss School in Connecticut. She also worked for The Steppingstone Foundation in Boston. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree in the teaching of English from Teachers College at Columbia University. She has traveled to Romania with Rivers students to work with Romanian children. In addition to advising underclassmen, Meredith is the assistant coach for varsity girls’ soccer.

Mary Carroll graduated from Carleton College with a B.A. in mathematics and earned an M.L.S. from Reed College. She has taught in Costa Rica, Turkey, Spain, and the Dominican Republic as well as the United States. After several years abroad, Mary returned to her home state of Massachusetts in 2015. Prior to joining Rivers in 2024, she worked at CATS Academy Boston, where she taught across the curriculum and served as department chair.

Erica joined the Rivers community in September 2024 as director of human resources. In this role, Erica is responsible for leading talent management and partnering with other school leaders to ensure that members of the professional community at Rivers are empowered in every facet of their careers. During her 25 years as an HR professional at a marketing and communications agency, Erica was devoted to supporting her company’s culture of innovation and integrity, building a more inclusive environment in which everyone has an opportunity to belong and thrive. Originally from the Boston area, Erica received a B.A. from Tulane University in art history and classical studies.

Beyond his work at Rivers, Justin Casinghino is also a lecturer in the departments of composition and theory at Boston University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the assistant director of the Young Artists’ Composition Program at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and the founder and director of the Boston Composers’ Coalition. He holds a BM in composition and jazz performance from the Hartt School of Music, an MM in composition from the Longy School of Music, and a DMA in composition from Boston University.

Rachael Chen joined Rivers in July 2022 as The Rivers School Conservatory’s marketing and communications manager. She currently serves as the senior development and external relations administrator at Rivers, a position she stepped into in spring 2024. She holds a B.M. in music performance along with certificates in arts management and Asian studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her past experience includes working with a health nonprofit and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble.

Since 2006, Tim Clark has taught Upper School ceramics, advised ninth and tenth grade, and coached JV boys’ tennis. His artwork has been exhibited around the country. He received a BS in studio art with a minor in art history from Skidmore College and an MFA in ceramics from the School for American Crafts at Rochester Institute of Technology. He previously served as art department chair at Darrow School in Lebanon, NY, and taught at Edmund Burke School in Washington, DC.

Sarah Cobb takes care of students’ needs in the café during the late morning and afternoon. Sarah also helps with special events at Rivers.

Sarah teaches sixth-grade humanities and serves as an advisor at Rivers. She is the faculty sponsor to the middle school newsletter, coaches, and oversees the peer mentoring program. Before coming to Rivers, she taught Upper School English and middle grades special education at Woodward Academy in College Park, GA. At Woodward, Sarah served as the faculty advisor for Girl Up (a United Nations effort to support adolescent girls in developing countries) and mentored new teachers. Sarah is a graduate of The Noble and Greenough School. Sarah earned her BA in American studies from Brown University and her JD from Emory University. Sarah is a licensed attorney who is passionate about adoption law and advocating for children's rights.

Elizabeth Creamer is the registrar for the Upper School and serves as a co-advisor. She earned a B.A. in Secondary Education and Hispanic Studies and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College. Liz taught high school Spanish at Saint Joseph Prep Boston, and, most recently, held the title of Senior Academic Advisor in the College of Engineering at Northeastern University for four years. Liz grew up on Long Island, NY and spends her free time visiting her friends and family across the country. She also enjoys reading, pop culture, and going for long walks with friends.

Philippe Crettien teaches saxophone and serves as jazz department chair and director of The Rivers School Jazz Program at The Rivers School Conservatory. He holds a BA from Berklee College of Music and honors in philosophy and literature from the French Lycée of London, and an MM in jazz composition from UMass Amherst. In addition to touring in Europe and South America with the Philippe Crettien Quartet featuring John Medeski and Bob Gullotti, he has performed with Andy Jaffe, Bill Baron, Ed Blackwell, Mr. Jelly Belly, and Branford Marsalis. Philippe has released a CD, "November Dusk", featuring RSC jazz faculty Patrick Mottaz, Sean Farias, and Mike Connors. His CD with the Philippe Crettien Nonet, "The North African Suite", was released in September 2021. Philippe also served as director of the Toulon International Jazz Festival workshops in Toulon, France, from 1991-2000.