Cristan Harris

Director of College Counseling
(440) 423-2916
cristan.harris@hawken.edu

Cristan joined Hawken in 2018 after serving as Director of College Counseling at The Williams School in New London, CT.  She spent nine years working in college admissions before switching sides of the desk. Cristan started her college admissions career at Boston University, where she also earned her master’s degree in higher education administration. She later worked at American University, followed by Meredith College, where she served as Director of Admissions. Cristan serves on a variety of Counselor Advisory Boards, including Common Application, Ohio University, Princeton University, and Simmons University. Previously, she was a member of Revolution Prep’s Midwest Counselor Advisory Board. Before moving to Cleveland, she was awarded Professional of the Year by the New England Association for College Admission Counseling and served as an Assembly Delegate and a member of the Professional Development, Current Trends, and Annual Meeting and Conference Planning Committees. A graduate of Colgate University, Cristan lives in Shaker Heights with her husband, son, dog, and two cats.

Maria Steiner

Associate Director of College Counseling
(440) 423-2126
mstei@hawken.edu

Maria came to Hawken in 2013 with twelve years of admission experience at Case Western Reserve University, where she served as an admission counselor and an assistant director of undergraduate admission. During her tenure, she coordinated the Alumni Admission Program, the Student Ambassador Program, on-campus visitation programs, and two scholarship competitions. She recruited in seventeen states as well as several regions in Ohio. She also served several tours of duty as a part-time outside application reader. A stay-at-home mother for sixteen years, she held multiple leadership positions on the Orange Schools PTA and served as a Girl Scout leader for four years. Maria is currently an associate director of college counseling and coordinator of the Cum Laude Society selection process. She enjoys gardening, live music, and cooking. Maria is in awe of her adult children’s adventures and is delighted to fill her empty nest with Hawken students searching for their college fit.

John Hawkins, Jr.

Associate Director of College Counseling
(440) 423-2034
john.hawkins@hawken.edu

John joined the Hawken community in 2021, bringing with him a wealth of experience from Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he served as Director of College Advising. During his seven years at Lausanne, he developed a comprehensive college counseling program for the Upper School and played a key role in strengthening the network of college counselors across the Memphis area.

He began his career in college admissions at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama, where he spent over a decade in various roles before transitioning to the independent school world. A dedicated professional and lifelong learner, John is an active member of both the Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC) and the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). 

In addition to his work in college counseling, John dedicates meaningful time to supporting student life at Hawken through his involvement with affinity groups, such as the Black Male Forum and the Black Student Union. 

John has served on advisory boards for The Ohio State University and the University of Tennessee, and currently contributes his insights as a member of the counselor advisory boards for the College of Charleston, High Point University, and Samford University.

Erin Hutchinson

Associate Director of College Counseling
erin.hutchinson@hawken.edu

Erin joined the Hawken community in 2025 and supports students and families at the Mastery School. Before joining Hawken, she worked at Earlham College, where she was the Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management. Before her time at Earlham, Erin was a College Advisor and Assistant Director of the CSGC for Service at Deerfield Academy, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Washington & Lee University, taught computer and business courses at Cleveland Central Catholic, and ran her own fiber arts business. Erin holds a B.A. in Archaeological Anthropology from Harvard College and an M.Ed. in Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.  She lives in Shaker Heights.

Caitlin Burnett

Associate Director of College Counseling
caitlin.burnett@hawken.edu

Caitlin joined the Hawken community in 2025 and has spent nearly 15 years working in education, starting in undergraduate admissions at Northwestern, where she was Hawken’s admissions representative, and then in various academic and student affairs capacities. Prior to moving home to Cleveland in 2021 and working as an Associate Director of College Counseling at University School, she served as a senior academic advisor and staff facilitator for the SESP Leadership Institute program at Northwestern. Ms. Burnett holds a BS in journalism and an MS in higher education administration and policy, both from Northwestern University. She lives in Shaker Heights with her husband, two kids, and dog. 

Eleanor Anderson

Eleanor, a class of 1979 Hawken alumna, has had the honor of working for her alma mater since 2004. Besides being in one of the first upper school classes with girls, her family’s history runs deep with the Red and Gray; her father, brothers, many cousins and her two children attended Hawken. She worked with the Advancement and Alumni Office team in various roles for almost 20 years before moving into her current administrative role assisting the Upper School Deans and College Counseling. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, she also holds a Master of Education from Boston College and lives with her husband in Gates Mills.  
An independent, coeducational, college preparatory day school, toddler through grade 12

Early Childhood, Lower, and Middle Schools, 5000 Clubside Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124
Birchwood School of Hawken, 4400 West 140th Street, Cleveland, OH 44135 

Upper School, PO Box 8002 (12465 County Line Rd), Gates Mills, OH 44040
Mastery School of Hawken, 11025 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106

Gries Center, 10823 Magnolia Dr, Cleveland, OH 44106

Directions  |  Log in  |  440-423-4446