RI Superintendent of the Year
Lawrence Filippelli, Ed.D. Superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools, Selected as 2023 Rhode Island Superintendent of the Year
Dr. Lawrence Filippelli, Superintendent of the Lincoln RI Public Schools, has been selected as the 2023 Rhode Island Superintendent of the Year. His selection by the Rhode Island School Superintendents' Association (RISSA) was announced at its General Membership Meeting on August 9, 2022. The selection and recognition of Dr. Filippelli by his colleagues is an indication of the high regard in which he 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 Larry by Dr. Kevin McNamara, Assistant Superintendent of the Lincoln Public Schools.
In addition to his fellow administrators, Rhode Island Education Commissioner Angélica M. Infante-Green, Larry’s wife, Stephanie, and his daughters Emilena and Aria were in attendance.
Dr. Filippelli has served as the Superintendent in Lincoln since 2018. He previously served as Superintendent of Schools in Scituate, RI from 2016-2018. He served as assistant superintendent in Scituate from 2009-2016. Prior to that (2005-2009) he was principal of Scituate Middle School and named the RIASP Middle School Principal of the year in 2008. Dr. Filippelli began his career in Providence at Mt. Pleasant high school before coming to Scituate in 1999 first as a teacher and then as an administrator.
He also serves as adjunct faculty at Providence College in the Graduate Program in Educational Administration and in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at Johnson & Wales University.
During his tenure as Superintendent, Lincoln has demonstrated a focus on teaching and learning and upgrading facilities to enhance student success. This has been evidenced by a focus on The Vision of a Graduate program, the K-12 Lincoln Lion Learner Initiative and various school construction projects; most notably the upcoming groundbreaking of a Physical Education Center and the completion of a 60-million-dollar high school construction/renovation project in 2021.
Lincoln also has greatly expanded in-district career pathways programs during his tenure creating a partnership with the Governor’s office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and having Lincoln High School be the first in the state to facilitate that office’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) incubator program. Larry’s work as an education leader is testimony to the engagement of all members of the school community in Lincoln and across RI.
Dr. Filippelli has been an active member of the RI School Superintendents Association for 13 years. He has been a member of the several subcommittees including work groups with RIDE and the RI School Safety Committee. He is Secretary of RISSA and has served on the executive committee.
Dr. Filippelli earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree at Providence College, a Masters of Arts degree in American History from Providence College, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Johnson & Wales University.
Larry, his wife, Stephanie and his two children reside in Greenville, RI.
Dr. Filippelli will be recognized by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) at its National Conference on Education to be held in San Antonio February 16-18, 2023.