Mary Natoli
Mary Natoli is an accomplished educational leader with more than 36 years of experience in education and school administration. Her journey into education began unexpectedly after completing two years at Fordham Law School. When she became pregnant, she made the life-changing decision to step away from law school and pursue teaching instead, inspired by her immigrant parents who valued education deeply despite having only a 4th and 8th grade education themselves. She began her career in a Title I school just two miles from her home, serving a student population where 99% qualified for free lunch, an experience that shaped her lifelong commitment to equity, access, and opportunity for all learners.
She spent five years as a classroom teacher, where she implemented innovative instructional strategies such as small group instruction within large classrooms of 36 students, approaches that were ahead of their time in the 1980s but are widely used in education today. Her success led to her selection as a recipient of an America’s Choice grant, through which she developed model reading classrooms and helped secure over one million dollars in funding to support instructional improvement. Recognized for her ability to impact learning beyond a single classroom, she transitioned into instructional leadership as a math facilitator, later earning her master’s in administration. She quickly advanced to assistant principal, serving for a decade in a school on the state restructuring list and helping lead its successful turnaround and removal from that designation.
Mary ultimately became principal of Covert Avenue School in the Elmont Union Free School District, where she served for 13 years and led a transformative era of growth and achievement. She entered a school community that was initially discouraged and divided, but through a collaborative, trust-based leadership approach, she rebuilt morale and unified staff around a shared vision. Under her leadership, the school rose from the lowest-performing elementary school in the district to the highest-performing, serving a diverse population of multilingual students, many from immigrant families. During this time, she also earned her Doctorate in Organizational Leadership. She retired as Principal at age 59 after 36 and a half years of service, proud of a career defined by impact, transformation, and a deep commitment to student success.
Outside of her professional accomplishments, Mary enjoys playing golf, traveling, and spending meaningful time with her family. These personal passions reflect her belief in balance, connection, and lifelong fulfillment beyond her dedication to education.
• Administrative License
• Teaching License
• Fordham University - BA, History
• Brooklyn College - MS, Reading Education
• Touro University - MS, Administration and Supervision
• St. John's University - EdD, School Leadership
• Who's Who Marquis Edition
• Zoning Board Member
What do you attribute your success to?
I would say persistence is the key factor for my success. I never give up, and if somebody tells me no, I'm going to prove them wrong. I was born a gifted child with a very high IQ, and in 8th grade I was going on weekends to Brooklyn Law School to do mock trials and things like that. But education came easy to me, and I just wanted to make sure that for children that it didn't come easy to, I was able to help them and not give up. I think perseverance and persistence have been my defining qualities throughout my career.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever received was when I just started my classroom career and was 8 months pregnant with my second child. My assistant principal said, 'Don't let anybody boss you around,' and told me to use my assets to the best of my ability. I had 36 children in my class and needed the health insurance, so I realized it was either going to happen one way or another - they were either going to dictate the room, or I was going to dictate the tone in the room. I think using your assets to the best of your ability is crucial, because everyone has a different asset to bring to the table, and engendering that and embracing it is something that I think a lot of young people need to understand.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't let one person's opinion of you and your work define you. You are the person that makes your own definition. I think too many people get bogged down by the fact that they didn't do well today, but there's always tomorrow. Your definition of yourself in your career is created by who you are as a person and who you want to be for your students. As an administrator, it's who you want to be for your teachers and your staff. The principal doesn't just deal with teachers - they deal with custodians, school aides, bus drivers, you name it. I think treating them the way that you would want to be treated has always been one of my key elements that I kept in the back of my head. You have to live your dream, not someone else's dream.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think it's a top-down, male-dominated field from the administration perspective, and I find it odd that there are more male administrators but more female teachers. When you look at it from that perspective, they're looking at education as a business when you get to a certain level, but not elementary and high school - if you're in public education, you're out to teach children and teach them to be successful in the world and in the workplace. I think a male perspective doesn't have that same view, with very few exceptions. They're looking at the money and the organizational piece, which I totally understand as an administrator, but I think having that human factor is crucial. I also think politics gets in the way of it. Some of the viewpoints from different political parties make it very difficult to navigate, and the acceptance piece - you might not agree with it, but you have to accept it. That portion of it is difficult for younger teachers to grasp. It's affecting budgeting, resources, and property taxes.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I think the values that are most important to me are consistency, loyalty, and honesty. These have guided me throughout my career and personal life.
Locations
Covert Avenue School
West Hempstead, NY 11552