Leadership Team
Meet our Principal and Assistant Principal
![Christopher F. Finan]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1704998478/acpsk12vaus/slxp3qgdckyoufwrmpyp/finan-web.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1704998478/acpsk12vaus/slxp3qgdckyoufwrmpyp/finan-web.jpg","width":269}])
Christopher F. Finan
Principal
Christopher F. Finan is the principal of George Mason Elementary School, taking on the role in July of 2023. Finan establishes and maintains the school philosophy and educational programs consistent with the goals and practices of Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS).
Finan comes to ACPS from Albuquerque Public Schools in New Mexico where he served as an elementary school principal since July 2021. Prior to that, he was an elementary school principal at the Community Day Charter Public Schools in Lawrence, Massachusetts and previously served as a principal intern within Boston and Framingham Public Schools. Finan was a curriculum facilitator at New Haven Public Schools in Connecticut and also served as a fellow of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was a school operations manager with Teach for America. He also served as a Teach for America corps member and taught seventh and eighth grade science at Clinton Avenue School (K-8) in New Haven, Connecticut.
Finan received a bachelor’s degree in biology and Hispanic studies at Boston College. He has a master’s in school leadership from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. He studied Spanish language and literature at Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain and is fluent in Spanish.
![Pamela Buckley, MEd, M.A]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1667491662/acpsk12vaus/l9usnw7vnzspi6omuffy/buckley.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1667491662/acpsk12vaus/l9usnw7vnzspi6omuffy/buckley.png","width":300}])
Pamela Buckley, MEd, M.A
Assistant Principal
Pamela Buckley is the assistant principal at George Mason Elementary School where she joined the administrative team in 2021. Mrs. Buckley came to Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) in 2011 and was also the assistant principal at William Ramsay Elementary School and Patrick Henry K-8 School. She also served as a special education literacy specialist for the ACPS Office of Specialized Instruction.
Mrs. Buckley was previously a special education coordinated early intervening services specialist in Prince William County, an educational program trainer of trainers across the mid-Atlantic for SRA-McGraw-Hill, an educational consultant for Ronnis Systems Inc., behavior consultant and trainer for EPIC Inc. with focus on school-wide discipline initiatives, classroom teacher, co-coordinator of summer programs in schools and community college liaison for Piedmont Virginia Community College.
Mrs. Buckley earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree with a concentration in special education from Longwood University and a Master in Education in leadership from George Mason University. Preferred Pronouns: She/Her/Hers.
Email: pamela.buckley@acps.k12.va.us