The Galway Central School District Board of Education was pleased to appoint Mrs. Brita Donovan as the next superintendent of schools at its May 15, 2018 Board of Education meeting. Mrs. Donovan was previously the director of curriculum, instruction and assessment at Galway CSD and has been with the district for six years.
“We are happy to promote Mrs. Donovan to the superintendent position,” said Galway Board of Education President Jay Anderson. “She has proven herself to be a consummate professional who is dedicated to student achievement. She has significant leadership experience, excellent communication skills, and is fully qualified to continue working toward the district goals, many of which Mrs. Donovan herself identified.”
Mrs. Donovan has held positions of increasing responsibility throughout her career. She began as a physical education teacher at the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES then Fort Edward Union Free School District. During her eight years at Fort Edward, she took on the responsibilities of assistant principal, athletic director, and dean of students. Mrs. Donovan joined the Galway Central School District in 2012 as associate principal and athletic director. In 2014, she began her current role as director of curriculum, instruction and assessment.
“Brita provided leadership and vision in the planning, development, and implementation of Galway Central School District’s curriculum,” said Anderson. “She developed a comprehensive process of involving the entire community in the vision, articulated the goals the community has for our children, and brought the vision to life. Under her leadership, the district is now offering students more opportunities in the fields of engineering, computer science, and agriculture.”
Throughout her tenure at Galway, Mrs. Donovan has trained over 1,700 educators in all aspects of harassment, bullying, and discrimination. She is the first NYS Public School approved trainer for the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA), and Galway is the first NYS Public school district approved for training.
“School climate and culture are a key component of achieving our goals,” said Mrs. Donovan. “I am proud of helping to create a student-centered learning environment in which students are rewarded for meeting high expectations and we celebrate our successes and traditions.” Mrs. Donovan co-authored an article, Innovative Spaces Transformed our School Climate and Culture in the Fall 2016 edition of School Administrators Association of New York State’s Vanguard.
“I am looking forward to a seamless transition and building on the progress the district has made over the past six years,” continued Mrs. Donovan. “The students, families, faculty, staff, administration, and Board of Education at Galway are incredible, and I am excited to be the next superintendent.”
Mrs. Donovan graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in physical education from the State University of New York at Cortland. She earned a Master of Science in education from the University at Albany. She continued her studies at Springfield College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, where she obtained certification as School District Administrator. She holds permanent certification as Physical Education Teacher, Character Counts National Trainer, and a National Staff Development Council Certified Staff Developer.
Mrs. Donovan was inducted into the Pine Plains School District Wall of Fame in 2009. She is a member of several professional organizations including the Beta Omega Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma, an international honor society of key women educators; Empire State Supervisors and Administrators Association; NYS Association for Women in Administration; and Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. She is an active volunteer at the Greater Galway Food Pantry.
Mrs. Donovan and her husband, Wayne, live in Stillwater.