Ms. Houlihan grew up in Orange County, New York. She received her bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies with a concentration in sociology and media arts from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and went on to receive her master’s degree in education from Touro College. She began her teaching career as a special education teacher in the New York City Department of Education. She also worked as a science chairperson before receiving her school building leadership and school district leadership advanced degrees from SUNY Stony Brook. She has been a middle school assistant principal since 2016.

As someone who has worked in the middle school setting for the majority of her career, Ms. Houlihan has a strong understanding of the academic and social emotional needs of children as they enter adolescence. She believes that building strong relationships positively impacts student achievement and she is excited to immerse herself into the Selden Middle School community to offer her support to its talented team of middle school educators.