Dara Gronau is the Principal at the South Orange Maplewood School District.

In this role, Dara oversees all staffing, budget, and operations at her schools. She also serves in a district-wide role in university partnerships. She is a book lover and mother of four. Gronau began as a high school English teacher in Newark Public Schools. She joined New Leaders in cohort 8 and served as a VP and principal in Newark. In 2016 Dara returned to her hometown--the South Orange Maplewood School District. In her students, she sees herself and her own children are students in the school system. Under her leadership and in partnership with skilled teachers and dedicated families, MMS was removed from NJDOE oversight status for achievement gaps among student subgroups in 2019. Dara believes deeply in disrupting issues of systemic inequity that harm Black and affirms that Black lives matter at school.

Dara holds a Masters from Montclair State University and a B.A. from Vanderbilt University.