Alumni named principals of Providence public schools

Two alumni of the University of Rochester’s Warner School of Education are assuming leadership positions at the Providence Public School District (PPSD), which serves nearly 24,000 students in its 41 schools in Rhode Island.

Matthew Juda ‘10W (EdD) is the new principal of E-Cubed Academy while Francisco Velasquez ‘03W (MS) was appointed principal of Hope High School. Both earned their graduate degrees in education at the Warner School. Juda received his doctorate in school district and school building leadership in 2010 and Velasquez received his master’s in childhood education in 2003. Both appointments were announced by the Providence Public Schools and became effective in July.   
 
Juda has more than 15 years of experience in urban education with a focus on career and technical education (CTE). Most recently, he served as an instructional leader in the Providence Schools. Prior to Providence, he lived and worked in Rochester, New York where he was a science teacher, mentor teacher, lead teacher for positive behavior supports and assistant principal, and held a variety of other leadership roles. Juda has a track record of improving student achievement and decreasing suspensions, which he hopes to continue at E-Cubed. 

“I look forward to working alongside the E-Cubed community to continue the great things that the school is currently doing and to reimagine E-Cubed with a new CTE focus,” said Juda in a video welcome message to the school community. “As a former classroom teacher in a CTE school, I know the power of providing students with exposure to career education. It opens not only their minds, but also opportunities they may have never considered.”

Velasquez knows the Providence community and has experience as a student and school administrator in PPSD, where he most recently served as an assistant principal of Hope High School for two years. Velasquez announced some new initiatives coming to Hope High School, including a home visits initiative and three-day summer orientation to support incoming freshman and their families, as well as an emergency medical technicians (EMT) certification program for seniors as part of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) CTE program, in his welcome message to the Hope school community.

“I am a proud product of the Providence Public School system having graduated from Nathanael Greene Middle School and Classical High School,” Velasquez shared. “I also want to welcome all the new members of our school faculty who in partnership with students, parents, teachers and the community are going to play an integral part in redesigning Hope into an international baccalaureate school.”

The Warner School offers doctoral and master’s programs, including New York State certification programs for school and building leaders, in educational leadership that prepare and advance innovative leaders for K-12 schools and educational organizations. The master’s and doctoral programs in teaching & curriculum at Warner also prepare teachers and curricular leaders for K-12 schools and other educational organizations, as well as scholars of teaching, curriculum and change.