Raymond J. McNulty  

Raymond J. McNulty has joined the staff of the International Center for Leadership in Education as a Senior Consultant and Executive Director of the Successful Practices Network.  

Prior to coming to the International Center, he was a Senior Fellow at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he worked with leading educators from around the country to reinvent our nation's high schools. Ray also is a Past President of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).  

An educator since 1973, Ray has been a teacher, vice principal, principal, and superintendent. From 2001-03, he served as Vermont 's education commissioner. During his tenure, McNulty focused on aligning the Department of Education's work on three key issues: early education, educator quality, and secondary school reform.  

Ray holds a Bachelor's degree in education from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts (1973). In 1977, he completed a Master's degree in education administration at Vermont ’s Johnson State College. He also holds a certificate of advanced graduate study in administration and planning from the University of Vermont (1983), was a charter graduate of the American Association of School Administrators National Superintendents Academy (1984), and completed the Early Education Program at UCLA's Anderson School of Business (1996). Ray received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Marlboro College in 2002.  

Ray has been widely recognized for his work on behalf of early childhood education. During his 11-year tenure as a superintendent in southern Vermont , area schools received wide recognition for their successful work with families and children of all ages. In 1997, ABC's Nightline featured Ray in connection with a program on early childhood education and infant brain development. He was named Vermont Superintendent of the Year in 2000.  

Ray has presented on the state, national, and international levels concerning the need for school systems to accept the challenges that lie ahead. He is committed to raising the performance standards for both teachers and students and building solid connections between school and communities. Ray believes strongly that educational systems cannot wait for children and challenges to arrive at school; rather, schools need to reach out and help forge solutions.