Healey and Driscoll Announce Secretary of Education Appointment
BOSTON — Governor-elect Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor-elect Driscoll announced that they will appoint Patrick Tutwiler, PhD as Secretary of the Executive Office of Education.
Tutwiler is the Senior Program Officer for Education at the Barr Foundation, and he has more than twenty years' experience in public education as a high school history teacher, as a high school principal and as the superintendent of the Lynn Public Schools.
"Dr. Patrick Tutwiler has the experience, the empathy and the vision to make sure that every Massachusetts resident receives a high quality education at each stage of their life – from early education, to K-12 to higher education," said Governor-elect Healey. "From his time working as a high school history teacher to leading a large, diverse, urban school district, he has earned his reputation as a consensus builder who puts diversity, equity and inclusion at the center of everything he does, and delivers results."
In his current role, Tutwiler specializes in developing new high school models that will have a positive impact across the entire school system. He's previously worked at Brighton High School, Boston English High School, Westford Academy, Wayland High School and Lynn Public Schools. As Lynn Superintendent, Tutwiler led a collaborative, equity-centered effort that resulted in increased graduation rates, decreased push out rates, a more racially diverse faculty and staff, and the establishment of Massachusetts' second largest early college program.
"I'm honored to be named Secretary of Education for the Healey-Driscoll Administration. Our office is going to be all about the people – the students, the families, the educators and the staff who we serve will drive all of our decision making," said Tutwiler. "I'm excited for the opportunity to build a strong team who will help us ensure that we have a high-quality, equitable and thriving education system."
Tutwiler earned a BA in history from The College of the Holy Cross, a master's in education from Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. While sincerely grateful for each one of these pivotal experiences, he credits his students as the people from whom he has learned the most over the years. He lives in Andover with his family.
"As Mayor of Salem, I've worked closely with superintendents and seen firsthand the significant impact they can have in strengthening public education," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "I've often said that schools are the most important investments for any mayor, and supporting those school systems is of particular importance right now as we continue to grapple with the long-term impacts of the pandemic on our students. I've been incredibly impressed by Dr. Tutwiler's experience as Lynn Superintendent and I know that his decades of public education experience will make him an excellent Secretary of Education."
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