Princeton Public Schools Names New Director Of Student Counseling

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Public Schools has appointed Dana Karas to serve as the Director of Student Counseling Services, the district announced Tuesday. Karas replaces Kristina Donovan who left the district earlier this month.

Karas has held administrative positions in Franklin Township Public Schools and Lawrence Township Public Schools, and previously worked in Princeton first as a middle school French teacher and later as a school counselor at Princeton High School.

She will officially join the district at the end of September.

Carol Kelley, Superintendent of Schools welcomed Karas and said praised her for her dedication. “She has impressive experience in school counseling as well as expertise related to students’ social-emotional health and well-being. Her experience and her dedication to students make her a wonderful addition to our team here in Princeton,” Kelley said.

Karas graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Education. She also has graduate degrees from The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Georgian Court College. She is currently completing her Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership from Kean University.

“I feel truly blessed and honored to be returning to Princeton Public Schools,” Karas said in a statement. “I am looking forward to supporting the school counseling staff and each and every child in the district.”

Early in her career, Karas worked as a middle school French teacher in Princeton. She later worked as a French teacher at the Manalapan- Englishtown Middle School and as a school counselor at Churchill Junior High School in East Brunswick.

She became a school counselor at Freehold Township High School in 1998, a post she held until 2003 when she returned to Princeton High School as a counselor.

Karas also worked in Lawrence Township Public Schools for over seven years as Supervisor of Guidance and Classic and World Languages, and then as Supervisor of Guidance, Careers and Alternative Programming.

In 2017, Karas was named New Jersey School Counselor of the Year, representing the state at a White House celebration.

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