BPS superintendent announces new leadership team

Mary Skipper, superintendent of Boston Public Schools, announced on Tuesday her new executive leadership team.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Six months into her tenure, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper on Tuesday announced key members of her new executive leadership team.

The new team, BPS said in a press release, will help advance the six priorities Skipper has set for her first year: improving student performance, ensuring school safety, making social and emotional learning more accessible, strengthening community engagement, increasing communication with family and staff, and holding the district office and schools accountable.

The new team includes Rochelle Nwosu, chief of staff; Linda Chen, senior deputy superintendent of academics, who will focus on closing achievement gaps; Ana Tavares, deputy superintendent of equity, family, and community advancement, who will develop engagement with BPS families and community; and Samuel DePina, deputy superintendent of operations, whose division works to ensure student safety, reliable transportation, and school meals. DePina will also work closely with city leadership on all facility needs and the Green New Deal for BPS.

Additionally, the new department leads for BPS are Lesley Ryan-Miller, chief of teaching and learning; Myriam Ortiz, chief of community engagement; Delavern Stanislaus, chief of capital planning; and Christine Trevisone, senior adviser of special education.

The district is also conducting a nationwide search for several important jobs that remain unfilled, including a chief of specialized services, who will restructure the district’s approach to special education, and a chief of multilingual and multicultural education, who will help ensure students have access to native language instruction and support.

The district is also working to hire a senior adviser of organizational development and equity, who will advise the superintendent and leadership team, and a chief of human capital, who will develop policy decisions and help support the district’s 11,000 employees. The chief of human capital will also manage labor relations, performance management, payroll, and recruitment.

“It is exciting to see that this team truly reflects the experiences of our students and families across the district,” School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson said in a statement. “We have an obligation to meet the needs of all students, and this new structure and team will provide much-needed momentum for this work.”