Meet our director
Hi, I’m Carolyn.
I founded The Field School of Hvar, because I believe that schools can be an engine for healthy communities and a powerful instrument for building agency in young people.
I am an American by birth and upbringing. I now live on Hvar with my partner and our young son, who are both Croatian. We chose to live on Hvar because of the free-range childhood that we felt the island could offer our family. Recognizing that other families - both Croatian and international - share our aspiration for a holistic approach to child development, I began investigating how I could bring together the best possible educational community in our island paradise.
Before coming to Hvar, I began my career in grassroots placemaking, convening a festival of culture and technology that drew 20,000 attendees. I went on to work under the head of operations and fundraising at The Aspen Institute, a global think tank based in Washington, D.C. I am a “double Hoo” with an undergraduate degree in literature and an MBA from the University of Virginia.
Outside of work, home, and learning Croatian, my passions are (as you might expect from the themes in our program) hiking, gardening, and reading. I am extremely grateful for all the wonderful people I have already met on this journey to launch The Field School of Hvar, and look forward to meeting new allies and co-conspirators as we continue onward. If you are inspired by the work we’re doing, please get in touch!
Academic Dean
Zoe Clute
Hello! I’m Zoe. As the academic dean for The Field School, I will hold community at the heart of all our learning practices. I believe children learn best when they feel connected: to place, to each other, and to a sense of purpose.
Creating exciting educational experiences has always been a driving force in my life. My career journey began at Stanford, where I studied child development and human biology, and enjoyed teaching children’s creative writing and working with 5-8 year olds at Stanford Sierra Camp.
I then became a faculty member at The Thacher School in Ojai, CA. There, I taught biology and yoga, backpacked with students, and designed a summer camp for L.A. middle schoolers to work with endangered turtles and tortoises.
My career journey continued to Castilleja School in Palo Alto, where I crafted a new climate change curriculum. Seeing the growing impacts of social media and new AI tools on my students, I then returned to Stanford for an M.S. in Learning, Design, and Technology.
Now, I work as a science faculty member at The Urban School of San Francisco. Outside of my time at school, I enjoy trail running with my friends, baking, writing letters, and pausing to admire every animal I see.
I look forward to deeply integrating theory and research into each experience at The Field School, while never losing sight of the childlike wonder and connection that drives learning. Let’s be curious together and make the world a better place!
