Leadership, Administration & Staff

Service-oriented and eager to help, our leadership, administration, and staff are champions of the school community. While their key focus is supporting the teachers in the classroom, they work hard to ensure every student and family has a positive experience. Whether they are the front-and-center, visible faces of our school or the unsung, behind-the-scenes heroes, leadership, administration, and staff are invaluable in upholding our culture and values.

Looking to get to know our unmatched, expert teaching faculty? Explore our teaching philosophy and meet the educators that bring it to life every day.

Our upper management works to foster an unparalleled learning environment, keep the campus running smoothly, set the tone of our culture, and ensure that students and teachers alike receive the support and encouragement they need to excel.

Ms. DeCrosta

Associate Head of Operations, Lower School Campus

Ms. DeCrosta

Associate Head of Operations, Lower School Campus

Ms. DeCrosta is the Associate Head of Operations BASIS Independent Brooklyn’s Lower School Campus. Her goal in this role is to build upon the existing safe and welcoming environment at the Lower School and enrich the experience through the school years to come for students, faculty, and staff.

Ms. DeCrosta graduated magna cum laude from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in urban planning and architecture along with journalism and mass communication.

Ms. DeCrosta felt the Director of Operations role was a great fit for the next step in her career, as she worked as a Real Estate developer and operator throughout the New York Metro Area from 2005 to 2020. She was formerly a member of the development executive team that constructed and operated City Point, which is now home to our Lower School Campus.

Outside of school, Ms. DeCrosta is a long-time resident of Carroll Gardens who enjoys stopping by the local farmers market alongside her two daughters and husband. She spends much of her personal time at Prospect Park, as she is an active board member of the Prospect Park Alliance.

Mr. Harmon

Head of School, Upper School Campus

Mr. Harmon

Head of School, Upper School Campus

Mr. Harmon is the Head of School for BASIS Independent Brooklyn’s Upper School bringing more than a decade of experience as a teacher in both high school and middle school. For the past three years, Mr. Harmon has led our Middle School program, supporting teachers, students, and families.

Mr. Harmon received his Bachelor of Arts degree from The Ohio State University with a major in Greek and Latin and a minor in English. He began his teaching career in central Ohio where he taught English and coached basketball. He then took his teaching career abroad to a private school in Istanbul, Turkey, where for five years he taught English Language Arts, helped to develop an AP English program, and began to develop an AP Latin program.

Joining our school first as an English and Latin Subject Expert Teacher, Mr. Harmon was excited by the vision, rigor, and breadth of the BASIS Independent Brooklyn educational experience. He has since helped grow and strengthen our middle school program in the Dean and Interim Director roles on the Student Affairs team prior to assuming the Associate Head of School.

“I’ve always found comfort and inspiration at the opportunity to watch students grow. As Head of School, I have supported this growth occur more broadly by returning to work with my former students currently in the high school while also continuing to support our middle schoolers as they make the transition to high school themselves. I am honored to bring the same passion to supporting students, teachers, and families at our broader BASIS Independent Brooklyn community.”

While education is his passion, Mr. Harmon also enjoys traveling, listening to music, and biking with his son Elliott (BIB ’35).

Mr. Josephson

Associate Head of Operations, Upper School Campus

Mr. Josephson

Associate Head of Operations, Upper School Campus

Mr. Josephson is the Associate Head of Operations at BASIS Independent Brooklyn. His goal is to improve the success rate and quality of life for all students and faculty through strengthened resources and collaboration. For the past five years before joining our school, Mr. Josephson managed operations for a Brooklyn-based restaurant supplier and an education contractor. In the latter role, Mr. Josephson worked alongside numerous private and public schools on the East Coast. Since 2017, he has also taught Asian Studies at CUNY – City College of New York.

Mr. Josephson received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin with a double major in legal studies and political science and a minor in criminal justice. For seven years after graduating, Dan taught and directed operations in private K-8 schools in South Korea and Taiwan. He received his Master of Arts in Asia – Pacific Studies from National Chengchi University.

Mr. Josephson chose BASIS Independent Brooklyn because he too believes in cultural responsiveness and combining learning methods from multiple countries to achieve a truly ideal education.

Mr. Josephson enjoys nature, art, music, museums, sports, TV, film, reading, and writing. He loves being an uncle and trying to be a foodie.

Ms. Miller-Sims

Head of School, Lower School Campus

Ms. Miller-Sims

Head of School, Lower School Campus

Ms. Miller-Sims is a passionate educator who has worked with students of all ages in her more than 15 years in the field. During her time in education, she has worked as an adjunct professor, classroom teacher, and school leader as Director of Early Learning and Primary Programs as well as Associate Head of School. She is currently the Head of School at BASIS Independent Brooklyn’s Lower School campus in Downtown Brooklyn.

“Inspiring joy in learning and cultivating curiosity in our young learners is so important as students build the foundational academic and social skills that will carry them through their educational journey. I am awed by all our students can achieve with the guidance of our exceptional faculty and I am honored to have the opportunity to nurture and grow this blossoming learning community,” Ms. Miller-Sims shared.

Ms. Miller-Sims graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She was a modern language major studying both Italian and French. While an undergraduate, she studied abroad in Padua, Italy. Ms. Miller-Sims later attended the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University where she received a Master of Arts degree in foreign language education. Ms. Miller-Sims received a Master of Science degree in general and special education grades 1–6 from Touro College.

What drew Ms. Miller-Sims to education is its power to transform lives and ignite new passions in students as they learn about the world and themselves. She is particularly excited to work with BASIS Independent Brooklyn Lower School to support the important work faculty and staff do each day to engage students in joyful, academically rigorous learning that is balanced with developmentally appropriate social-emotional learning. Ms. Miller-Sims believes that educating the whole child is a critical aspect of early childhood and primary education. She looks to prepare students to face the world with self-awareness, empathy, and creativity so they can be problem solvers who contribute to building a better future for all.

Outside of school, Ms. Miller-Sims enjoys exploring new cultures both inside New York City and by traveling to other cities and countries. She can often be found at the climbing gym and loves taking her dog for long walks in Prospect Park or around Carroll Gardens.

Mr. Runyon

Associate Head of School

Mr. Runyon

Associate Head of School

Mr. Runyon serves BASIS Independent Brooklyn as the Associate Head of School. He started with BASIS Independent Brooklyn back in 2016 and went on to work in Admissions at BASIS Independent Fremont and Academic Programs at BASIS Independent Manhattan during their instrumental early years. He returned to BIB to lead the Academic Programs department in 2021.

Mr. Runyon hails from the Pacific Northwest and is always happy to talk to you about last night’s Portland Trail Blazers or Seattle Mariners game. He received two Bachelor’s from the University of Oregon, one in Journalism, and the other in Romance Languages. His teaching career began in 2011 in the ESL space, teaching both children and adults abroad and in New York, before moving into school administrative roles. He is currently finishing up his master’s degree in education leadership at the University of Pennsylvania.

Says Mr. Runyon, “Curiosity is essential in creating a positive school environment, and BASIS Independent Brooklyn has that in spades. We are able to be introspective, collaborate on our goals, and understand what marks success. Even more importantly, we celebrate our growth but also look forward. It’s important to model for our students that there are always opportunities to grow, no matter who or how old you are. I’m excited to get started on helping our school grow.”

When he’s not on campus, Mr. Runyon enjoys running, playing Jeopardy! (he insists he will be a contestant one day), and going to the playground with his son.

Meet our Team
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Ms. DeCrosta

Ms. DeCrosta

Mr. Harmon

Mr. Harmon

Mr. Josephson

Mr. Josephson

Ms. Miller-Sims

Ms. Miller-Sims

Mr. Runyon

Mr. Runyon

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Meet our Team
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