With incredible enthusiasm, Blackstone Valley Prep is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Anderson as Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent, effective October 2, 2022. Sarah joined BVP in 2015, served as Chief Academic Officer beginning in 2017, and was named Deputy Superintendent prior to the 2021-22 school year. On Tuesday evening, Blackstone Valley Prep’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to select Sarah as CEO and Superintendent. Sarah will work closely with the Board to set the strategic direction for the organization and lead all day-to-day academic, cultural, operational, and financial activities.
“I first had the opportunity to work closely with Sarah during the height of the pandemic when she volunteered with me at a number of the vaccination clinics in Central Falls. I learned very quickly that Sarah is a leader who is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and do whatever it takes to serve the needs of our community. I have since come to greatly admire her character and her commitment to educational excellence and equity, and I have great confidence that she will successfully lead BVP for years to come,” said BVP Board Chair and Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera.
Said Cumberland Mayor and Board Member Jeff Mutter: “I have gotten to know Sarah over the past few years at BVP and am confident that she is the right leader to take the organization into the future.”
Sarah joined BVP from the Office of Transformation and Charter Schools at the Rhode Island Department of Education, where her work included policy development on school accountability and college readiness, direct support to district leadership teams on school reform, and developing new school leaders committed to advancing educational equity. She has also worked in the Grand Rapids, Michigan and New York City school systems as a middle school English teacher, instructional coach, and data specialist.
Sarah holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Williams College, a Master of Science in Education from Bank Street College of Education, and a Master of Science in Education Leadership from Western Michigan University.
Sarah said, “I am honored to begin leading BVP at a pivotal moment, with our first kindergartners graduating and our first alumni returning to work in our schools. We have grown and learned so much over the past 13 years, and I look forward to working with our communities, families, and staff to build BVP for the next generation of young people from the Blackstone Valley.”
Sarah succeeds founding CEO and Superintendent Jeremy Chiappetta who announced his transition in June.
“Sarah is an exceptional talent who makes those around her better,” he said. “She regularly asks the right questions, pushes in the right directions, and challenges all of us to ensure that every decision made has the best interests of our scholars and their families in mind. I have every confidence in her ability to lead the next generation of BVP scholars and families into the future.”
BVP Board Chair and Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera and BVP CEO-elect Sarah Anderson
