As the school year begins on Sept. 2, the Martha’s Vineyard Public School District (MVYPS) has three new leaders, all moving in from off-Island. Jaime Curley is replacing Richard (“Richie”) Smith as the new MVYPS superintendent. Bryan Lombardi is the incoming principal of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS), succeeding interim principal Sean Mulvey. At the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School (MVYPS), Chris Nace is the new director, replacing Pete Steedman.
The Times sat down with each of these incoming educators to get a sense of who they are, their goals, and what’s in store for students in the 2026-2027 school year. While none of the educators have experience on the Island, many have ties to the community here. All of them started their positions in mid-summer, and have a few thoughts about the teaching styles they’re bringing to the table.
Jaime Curley on asking ‘the why’
The new superintendent for MVYPS, Dr. Jaime Curley, grew up in an area not far from the Vineyard. While she’s new to the Island’s school system, she told The Times she’s familiar with the uniqueness of the place and the people who live here, and she expressed excitement about learning more.
“I want to make sure that people know that I’m aware of uniqueness, and I know that’s really important to people in each of the towns,” Curley said. “That’s something that … I want to continue to honor.”
Curley, 50, was raised in Melrose but moved to Sandwich at the age of 10. Her father, who was sick with a rare liver disease, dreamed of living on the Cape and her family relocated to honor him. Following her father’s death a couple years after the move, she described the Cape community as “very peaceful” during a tough time in her life.
As Curley adjusts to the Vineyard school system as the new leader of seven public schools and roughly 2,100 students, the supportive nature of the people on the Island have reminded her of that community she was raised in.
“From the moment I was appointed, I felt like it was like a second home to me. It’s been a very warm welcome,” Curley said.
While she has never held a superintendent position before, Curley’s experience in Massachusetts schools has included a mix of special education, psychology, and administrative work. She’ll be the first woman to hold the role.
Curley plans to live here through the workweek, and will commute to her home in Sandwich on the weekends, where her husband, John, and daughter, Addyson, 17, still live. Curley also has two other daughters, Ella, 22, and Hope, 20.
Curley received her B.A. in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Initially wanting to pursue a career in child psychology in order to help children who went through similar experiences, like her father’s death, to her own, Curley first worked at the May Center, a nonprofit, residential school for children with autism, formerly located in Chatham. She then went on to work as a public school paraprofessional, a person that assists teachers in the classroom, which motivated her to get her teaching certificate in special education from Bridgewater State University.
Curley also has master’s and doctorate degrees in education. After working as a special education teacher in the Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District, she then became a school psychologist, a profession she described as “the perfect job.”
“I can work with kids. I’m doing some testing for learning disabilities, but I can also work on social skills or some counseling skills with kids,” Curley said. “It was the perfect job for me.”
Curley then went on to be the director of student services for the district before becoming the director of special education for the Mashpee Public School District. She then served as the assistant superintendent of student services in the Old Rochester Regional School District, which consists of students from the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester.
Early on in her educational career, Curley said she made a mistake during a parent meeting that would teach her the importance of asking questions and inform her professional style for years to come.
“A parent called me out for not asking their child ‘why,’ and it was a major learning experience for me,” Curley said. “Ever since then … I always try to just figure out ‘the why,’ so that I know how to solve the problem. Without knowing the full ‘why,’ it’s hard to always solve that problem.”
Curley explained how this lesson applies to being a superintendent.
“When you are the superintendent, you oversee a lot of different schools and a lot of different situations. When you go in thinking that you know, sometimes you can really make some big mistakes that way,” Curley said. “I want to know [‘the why’], so that I don’t make those mistakes. I try to be very thoughtful when I make any changes. For me, it is really important to really dig down and understand ‘the why.’”
Surprisingly, Curley said that she didn’t initially want to be a superintendent. She said, however, that she’s gained more confidence in the past year and that holding her position would allow her to help the district’s principals.
Although she said that she still has a lot to learn, some of Curley’s long-term goals include pooling more resources together from the separate schools, so teachers have access to the same professional development opportunities as well as creating more academic coherency among the elementary schools, so children from different schools have similar experiences. Still, Curley said she wants each school to keep its own character.
Alex Salop, chair of the search committee that selected the finalists for the All-Island School Committee to vet and interview, said that although she lacked experience as a superintendent compared to the other candidates, her dedication to students was apparent.
“She was on paper probably not the most qualified in terms of her germane experience, but what came through for her really more than anybody else was her commitment to the students and the way that she cared about them,” Salop said. “I thought she was a long shot initially, but after I talked to her, my opinion of her changed completely.”
Heading into this school year, Curley expressed her eagerness for the schools to reopen.
“I can’t wait until the action has started, and we’re underway and attending the sporting events and the plays and family nights,” Curley said. “On days when the job feels hard, the best place for me to be is in classrooms, seeing kids, and remembering the reason why I got into the profession in the first place.”
Bryan Lombardi on breaking the bell curve
Bryan Lombardi’s journey to his new position as principal of MVRHS started when he was a history major at Bridgewater State University where he learned about the bell curve model. He felt improvements could be made to the long-held grading system, and he’s brought that mentality with him to different schools and roles, and this year, to MVRHS.
The grading model places student’s academic performance into a bell curve, also called normal distribution, where the majority of students fall into a middle or average zone, and minority groups perform above and below average. Lombardi felt that the controversial system neglected the students who underperformed and is a touchpoint he said he’s referred back to throughout his career as an educator.
After graduating, Lombardi’s first job was at the Pike School, a private, therapeutic, residential school in New Hampshire that served adolescents referred through the state’s Department of Children and Family Services. Lombardi said the experience ultimately led him to pursue counseling and receive his M.S. in clinical social work at Boston College.
Lombardi then worked in court-managed programs with individuals dealing with issues like substance abuse, domestic violence, and anger management. After realizing that many in his program had negative experiences while in school, Lombardi decided that he wanted to work with high schoolers.
“The constant thread between all these individuals of different backgrounds and ages was broken education and bad experiences in school. Many of them had dropped out and had been asked to leave,” Lombardi said. “That made me want to get back into schools by being proactive in supporting people to have success at a high school graduate level.”
Lombardi started as an adjustment counselor at West Springfield High School before moving to Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham. While there, one of Lombardi’s administrators suggested that he assume the role of assistant principal.
Lombardi said that his time as an adjustment counselor improved his communication and listening skills in his everyday life.
“Being a counselor, it’s all about having the ability to communicate effectively with people and to understand that they’re coming from their perspective,” Lombardi said. “It’s really helped me be a better listener and communicator, and I use that every day.”
Raised in Westford, Lombardi, 57, credited his parents’ open-mindedness and prioritization of education to his development as a person.
“My dad defined success for me by happiness and love in your life. It wasn’t about certain positions, it wasn’t about money, it was really about being a good human,” Lombardi said. “That really set the foundation.”
At the beginning of his career, Lombardi reflected on how some people advised him against helping struggling students in public schools.
“When I first was in education, you would hear things like: ‘Those students don’t belong here,’ or ‘Bryan, we’re not a human service agency.’ Public schools are the last remaining truly available human service agency to people. We educate; we give health; we provide food; we provide social, emotional, and mental health. We really provide a gamut for people in a really true human way,” Lombardi said. “Saying they shouldn’t be here is not a solution.”
After working as a principal at Northampton High School, Lombardi became the principal of Stoneham High School in 2019. While there, he oversaw the completion of the school’s $217 million building project. In June, Island residents approved a $333.5 million building and renovation project for MVRHS.
Lombardi said that he applied for the MVRHS principal position because of his previous experience with these projects.
“The biggest takeaway I would say is to make sure [we are] ready to receive the new building and think about the processes and the way we want to dump ourselves into that new building,” Lombardi said. “This is a significant investment, so we want to maintain it.”
Sean Mulvey, MVRHS guidance counselor and last year’s interim principal, described Lombardi as taking a “listen-first approach.”
“He knows that we’ve been doing what we’ve been doing for many years, and he’s not here to make drastic changes,” Mulvey said. “He wants to listen to what’s happening.”
Justine DeOliveira, MVRHS assistant principal, said Lombardi is team-oriented and energetic.
“He has spent so much time really getting to know every aspect of the school and has done it all with a positive energy and a smile and a collaborative approach,” DeOliveira said.
Heading into this school year, Lombardi, who lives in West Tisbury with his wife, Rebecca, aims to be a visible leader at MVRHS and in the Island community.
“My goal is to be a presence for my students and families, and be available to them … I will be at events, in the hallways, at lunches, and in classrooms,” Lombardi said. “I want to be a member of the community in honor of what this school represents and stands for.”
Chris Nace on belonging to the charter school and beyond
The educational philosophy of Chris Nace, the new director at MVPCS, prioritizes persistence and gradual improvement over instant results.
“Learning is in draft form always. You’re rarely getting to a final product right out [of] the gate,” Nace said.
To teach students this, Nace pointed to the existing International Baccalaureate (IB) program at the charter school, and his own background walking students through IB classes in Washington, D.C. The IB program is an internationally-implemented curriculum that emphasizes student-driven education, global understanding, and critical thinking. The academically rigorous classes were first adopted by MVPCS in 2021 for high school juniors and seniors.
“Through project-based learning and the IB model, we’re able to teach students about progress over perfection,” Nace said.
Raised in Virginia, Nace, 36, who has cerebral palsy, reflected on the challenges that he faced as a student with a disability and the ways those challenges inform his teaching style now.
“I didn’t always have the same experiences and opportunities that other students have,” Nace said. “I definitely was limited in a lot of ways, which made school challenging, and I didn’t always have the support I needed in school.”
For Nace, the turning point came when one of his sixth grade teachers took him to attend a meeting for his Individualized Educational Plan — specialized learning plans and accommodations made for public school students with disabilities and learning challenges.
“It was the first time I ever heard that I had cerebral palsy. I had no clue what that was, but it was an eye-opening experience,” Nace said. “It really was the first time that I understood what it meant to have my needs met and what it meant to be able to have an open, honest conversation about having a disability, without it being negative or creating fear. That teacher really candidly changed my whole life and trajectory.”
Now, Nace said that his cerebral palsy is “his favorite thing about himself.”
“Showing up as someone with a disability, I’m aware of both the burden and the opportunity,” Nace said. He added that cerebral palsy “allows me to see the world as someone who’s experienced challenges but also through the lens of success in spite of those challenges.”
After graduating from George Mason University with a B.A. in government and international politics and an M.S. in conflict analysis and resolution, Nace also received his M.A. in secondary special education and transition services with a concentration in autism spectrum disorder from George Washington University.
Currently, Nace is also finishing a Ph.D. in education policy and leadership at George Mason University.
He also worked for the D.C. Department of Disability Services and the D.C. Public Schools as a secondary transition program manager, where he helped students with disabilities prepare for post-secondary education, employment, and independent living.
“A lot of my work in the D.C. Department on Disability Services was combating ableism and narratives that people have developed through their lives about people with disabilities, not only through my work and through the things I would do for the department but also through who I am as a human being,” Nace said.
In 2019, Nace started working at the D.C. International School (DCI), a Tier 1, IB charter high school, as the special education coordinator before becoming principal in 2021. He said that a lack of representation of individuals with cerebral palsy in leadership positions can make others doubt his qualifications as an administrator.
“When people meet me, even though they see what my title is and what my job is, they’re not always sure about me simply because there’s a lot of historical mindset … that’s hard to overcome,” Nace said. “In any job that I’ve had, I also have a duty to other people with disabilities and cerebral palsy to show that we are capable.”
Although DCI has an enrollment of roughly 900 students — more than five times MVPCS’s 175 students in kindergarten through 12th — Nace said that both schools share similarities, such as having an IB program and an emphasis on democracy and global citizenship as virtues.
“We’re teaching students how to be good global citizens,” Nace said. “I want you to be able to do math and science and history and write and read. But I also want you to be able to go out in the world and treat people with dignity and respect.”
Prior to applying for the MVPCS director position, Nace, who now lives in Oak Bluffs, visited the Island a few times during the summer. Now that he’s a year-round resident, he emphasized the warm reception that he’s received from the MVPCS community.
“Everybody that I’ve met is just so willing to go out of the way. If for some reason I need somewhere to stay, I have 17 people I can call that I’m not even sure they have room in their house, but they’re very clear they’ll make room for me,” Nace said. “It feels like I’m walking into a community as opposed to just a job.”
Also joining MVPCS this year is Dani Charbonneau, the school’s new assistant director. She described Nace as “international-minded” and unafraid of new ideas.
“It’s really easy to let the fear of what could go wrong guide things, and he really does not do that,” Charbonneau said.
Sheila McHugh Hazell, chair of the MVPCS Board of Directors, praised Nace for having a balance between bringing new ideas and respecting the school’s preexisting culture.
“I have been blown away by the insight and the new perspective that he brings, but also the way that he values the origin story of the charter school and the roots of the school,” McHugh said.
Heading into the school year, Nace said that he has several long-term goals, such as more expanding the school building next summer, expanding the school’s IB program and Portuguese language courses to all grades, and creating more travel opportunities for students through community service trips and an exchange program.
“I want to make sure that the community understands that we are more than just a traditional school on the Island,” Nace said, referring to the IB program. “We very much are an international school building good global citizens.”
