Marion Atherton, Chief Operating Officer, joined Crowden's staff in 2005. She has served in a variety of roles, working to strengthen the organization's systems and structures. As the Director of Community Programs, Marion has extensive experience with program creation and management, as well as managing faculty, parent, and student relationships. A lifelong advocate for music education, Marion grew up in a musical family, majored in music at Yale, and earned her MA in Music Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. She finds joy in the Crowden environment, watching Crowden students engage with music and grow into what Anne Crowden called "virtuoso people."