Dr. Caroline Watts Begins Term on Cheltenham School Board

The Director of the Office of School and Community Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education (Penn GSE), Dr. Caroline Watts has been elected to the Cheltenham School District Board of School Directors. She was sworn in at the board’s re-organization meeting on Tuesday, December 2.

Over her career as a program administrator, practicing child therapist, and university educator, Dr. Watts has focused on creating innovative institutional partnerships among schools, universities, and community health organizations that support equity and access to high-quality resources for urban children, youth, and families. Dr. Watts, who began her education career as a middle school math teacher in Baltimore, is passionate about ensuring all children have what they need and deserve to reach their full potential, and sees public schools as the ideal vehicle to accomplish this mission.

Dr. Watts and her family have lived in Elkins Park since 2008 when they relocated from Boston for positions at Penn GSE. She and her husband, Mike Nakkula, chose Cheltenham in large part because of the quality and diversity of the school district. Her sons, Lukas and Sam, graduated from Cheltenham High School in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Her older son Lukas is the head baseball coach at CHS. 
A licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania, Dr. Watts has a B.A. in psychology and sociology from Yale University, and Ed.M. and Ed.D. degrees in counseling and consulting psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

To reach Dr. Watts, email cwatts@cheltenham.org.