Last night, the Ridgefield Board of Education announced the appointment of Dr. Susie Da Silva as the new Superintendent of the Ridgefield Public Schools. She will be transitioning into the position currently held by Interim Superintendent Dr. JeanAnn Paddyfote. Dr. Paddyfote has led our district during our national search to fill the permanent Superintendent position after Dr. William Collins resigned due to medical complications.
The Board received a large number of applications during this national search process led by the executive search firm, CES. Those candidates were then screened and interviewed by the personnel search committee and, in the end, Dr. Da Silva rose to the top.
The BOE would like to thank RPS administration and staff, students, parents, town boards members and community members for their survey and focus group feedback as we developed the Leadership Profile for the next Superintendent. It was from this profile that Dr. Da Silva emerged as the front runner and ultimately as the finalist for the position. Dr. Da Silva will officially begin her appointment on April 1, 2020.
About Dr. Susie Da Silva:
Dr. Da Silva currently serves as Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Curriculum and Instruction in Darien, CT. Her background includes elementary principalship in Westport and Waterbury CT, classroom teaching at the elementary and middle school levels, and adjunct professorship at St. Joseph’s College. Those who have worked with Dr. Da Silva describe her as an outstanding administrator and effective communicator with an inherent desire to problem-solve and work collaboratively with teams of people to accomplish district goals. Describing her leadership skills as Assistant Superintendent, former Darien Superintendent Dr. Dan Brenner said “One critical measure (of effective leadership) in administration is to watch and see if practice has changed and defined initiatives have been accomplished. Toward this end, there is no one better than Dr. Da Silva.” She is ethically grounded and is driven by a sense of persistence toward excellence and unyielding expectations for herself. As principal she “created an environment that was incredibly student-centered, focusing not only on academics but also on affective behaviors that focused on respect for all,” according to Elliott Landon, her former Superintendent in both Westport and Darien.