Strength From Within: Leveraging Everett Expertise for EPS Students

Special to the Independent

Everett Public Schools (EPS) Superintendent Priya Tahiliani is pleased to announce several administrative appointments as the district continues its ongoing and accelerating preparations for the 2022-2023 school year.

“I am excited about these changes, individually and collectively,” Superintendent Tahiliani said. “We are leveraging the tremendous talent we have within the EPS and in the community to bolster effectiveness and efficiency across several major areas of the district. It makes me all the more excited about the upcoming school year and the continued gains we are poised to make.”

The changes announced by the Superintendent include:

• After serving as Principal of the Devens School since its opening in 2013, Dr. Brian Wallace, a longtime and respected leader in the Everett Public Schools, has accepted the position of EPS Director of Social and Emotional Learning.

“Dr. Wallace’s deep and varied experience is an ideal fit for the EPS, as we continue the critical work of embedding social and emotional learning into classrooms and curriculum.” Superintendent Tahiliani said.

• Dr. Brittany Puleo will succeed Dr. Wallace as Principal of the Devens School. Dr. Puleo served as Assistant Principal at the Devens in 2021-2022, and she has been a member of the Devens team since the school opened in 2013. 

After serving as a teacher from 2013-2016, Dr. Puleo transitioned to the position of Educational Team Leader, a role that enabled her to form close connections with parents and outside agencies to better support students.

• A new leadership team has been appointed at Everett High School (EHS). Dennis Lynch, a veteran EPS educator, will serve as the new EHS Principal. He served as Principal at the Albert N. Parlin School for the past two years and has been an EPS educator and administrator for 12 years.

Longtime EPS educators Stanley Chamblain and James Murphy have been named as Assistant Principals at Everett High. All three educators previously served at Everett High School. Prior to becoming the Parlin School Principal, Lynch was a teacher and a Dean of Students. Chamblain is a former guidance counselor and the current head coach of the Crimson Tide boys basketball team. Murphy, a versatile and experienced educator, served as the EHS Data Director, overseeing the school’s student management/scheduling system. Collectively, the trio has extensive experience across all major departments and aspects of the daily operation of EHS.

• Nancy Sutera will be the principal of the Parlin School, and she will be hiring two assistant principals to join her leadership team. Ms. Sutera has a long track record of success as a teacher, mentor, and building leader.

During more than two decades in the EPS, Ms. Sutera has served as a math teacher, an instructional facilitator, a department head, and an assistant principal at the Parlin and Whittier schools. “Her skillset makes her ideally suited to serve as the principal of one of our K-8 schools,” said Superintendent Tahiliani.

• Lauren O’Connor has been hired as the district’s first-ever Director of Security. O’Connor, an EHS graduate and Everett resident, most recently was Encore Boston Harbor’s Assistant Director of Security Administration and Emergency Management. She will oversee safety and security policies, procedures, and protocols at the district level, while working out of EHS.

The Superintendent stressed that the addition of O’Connor will directly address one of the School Committee’s top priorities: Safety, particularly at EHS.

“This topic was addressed regularly during last school year, both during School Committee sessions and in conversations I had with students, staff, and parents,” the Superintendent said. “It is my responsibility to act on those concerns, not only in the moment but for the long haul.”

O’Connor will help develop clear and consistent safety procedures, either by leveraging existing systems or by implementing new practices and protocols. She will review and upgrade policies, oversee security technology, and plan training, among other responsibilities.

“I am genuinely excited to have these talented individuals in place now, so they can fully immerse themselves in preparing for our reopening in September,” Superintendent Tahiliani said.

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