Ana Riley, Superintendent of the Bristol-Warren Regional School District (BWRSD), has been selected as the 2026 Rhode Island Superintendent of the Year. Her selection by the Rhode Island School Superintendents' Association (RISSA) was announced at its General Membership Meeting on August 19, 2025. The selection and recognition of Mrs. Riley by her colleagues is testament to the high regard in which she is held.
The award recognizes outstanding achievement in school district leadership, dedication to the education of all children, commitment to the community, and service to RISSA. The award was presented to Mrs. Riley by Jeannine Nota-Masse, Superintendent of the Cranston Public Schools and the president of RISSA.
In addition to her fellow educational leaders, Rhode Island Education Deputy Commissioner Drew Echelon, Ana’s husband Kyle, and her children Brenna, Gaelen, Connor, Jensen, Colman and Seamus were in attendance.
Mrs. Riley has served as the Superintendent for BWRSD since December of 2022. She previously served as Deputy Commissioner for Instructional Programs at the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). Prior to that Ana also served as Superintendent of Schools for the Portsmouth Schools from 2011 to 2014. She also served as assistant superintendent and then superintendent for the Dartmouth (Mass.) Public Schools.
Mrs. Riley served as both an assistant principal and principal and she began her career in Fall River, Mass. as a Science teacher.
Superintendent Ana C. Riley's key achievements in collaboration with her team and district staff include: addressing the persistent achievement gap for Multilingual Learners (MLL) and students who receive Special Education services with a multifaceted strategy. This involved providing professional learning, including LETRS training, free tuition for a MLL endorsement, and restructuring schedules to ensure these students received core instruction. As a result, there was a significant increase in MLL students meeting their English proficiency targets and an increase in the percentage of students with IEPS meeting the college readiness goal on the SAT. Mt. Hope High School’s ELA SAT scores are some of the highest in the state and they continue to rank at the top of the growth chart. The district has added multiple CTE opportunities for students, enhanced professional learning through varied opportunities for all staff, implemented an MTSS framework and successfully passed a bond with over 65% of the vote in both Bristol and Warren to build a new high school and make improvements at each of the other schools.
Mrs. Riley has been an active member of the RI School Superintendents’ Association for nearly 9 years.
She earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry at Regis College, earned a Master Degree in Education Administration at Fitchburg State College, completed coursework at Nova University and earned a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from Harvard University.
Ana and her husband Kyle, and their children reside in Fall River, MA.
Mrs. Riley will be recognized by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) at its National Conference on Education to be held in Nashville, Tn February 12-14, 2026.