Dr. Julie Hackett took the helm as Superintendent of the Lexington Public Schools on July 1, 2018. Prior to her arrival in Lexington, she was Superintendent of the Taunton Public Schools for close to a decade, where she proudly served as a mentor to at-risk youth. She worked closely with her team to build an inclusive school community and eliminate barriers to student learning, resulting in the highest graduation rates and lowest dropout rates in history. In 2008 in her role as Deputy Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, Julie was instrumental in the development and implementation of a district strategic plan with a focus on equity. Prior to assuming the role of Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Taunton in 2007, Julie began her career in Maine 25 years ago as teacher, dean of students, principal, and curriculum director. She is a National Writing Project fellow, and she was appointed to Governor Angus King’s Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI) Task Force, the largest 1:1 laptop initiative of its kind at the time.
In 2009, Julie was recruited back to Taunton to become the Superintendent of Schools in their diverse district of 8,200 students. She was elected by her fellow superintendents to serve as the President of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, and she was named the Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year in 2018. A frequent presenter at conferences, Julie recently authored her second book, “Building Relationships, Yielding Results: How Superintendents Can Work with School Boards to Build Collaborative Teams,” published by Harvard Education Press in 2015.
Julie has been recognized for her experience in inclusion, curriculum development, capital and strategic planning, team-building, and complex problem-solving through collaboration. She was directly involved in the construction of a $112 million high school/middle school project and two elementary schools. Under Dr. Hackett’s leadership, Taunton received the 2015 Community Partnership Award from the Federation of Children with Special Needs and the 2012 Award for Operations and Efficiency from the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials. She holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the University of Maine.
