Ron Cino, Head Of School, To Step Down In June 2021
Worcester Academy Head Of School To Step Down In 2021, Search Begun For Successor
Worcester, Mass. (JANUARY 17, 2020) — Worcester Academy Head of School Ronald M. Cino announced today that he will step down from his post in June 2021. He will continue as head of school through the end of the current school year as well as through the 2020-2021 school year.
In a message sent to parents, faculty, and alumni today, Mr. Cino said he is still considering what comes next in his career, but he believes now is the right time to begin making a transition.
“My wife, Nathalie, and I are forever grateful for what Worcester Academy has provided for us and for our family since our arrival in June 2001,” he said. “We love the place and the people. I have learned so much here professionally and personally, and this feels like the right moment for me to begin pursuing new challenges, even as I continue to find passion and joy in my work.”
James J. Pietro, president for the Worcester Academy Board of Trustees, praised Mr. Cino for his leadership at WA, which includes nearly 20 years of service in a variety of roles.
“Since coming to our campus nearly two decades ago, Ron has made an indelible and positive impact on virtually all aspects of Academy life,” Mr. Pietro said. “I am happy for him as he ventures forward to take on new challenges and opportunities for professional growth.”
Mr. Pietro noted that the board had hired a search consulting firm to assist in identifying Mr. Cino’s successor. The months-long search, while led by the Board, will be transparent and require involvement and input from all constituencies of the Academy, he said.
“As we begin our work with a national search firm, more information regarding a timeline and milestones will be circulated to the community in the coming weeks,” he said.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING TENURE AS HEAD
During Mr. Cino’s tenure as head of school at Worcester Academy, the school’s largest capital campaign, “ONWARD,” which raised a record $52 million, was completed. Construction and renovation of the Worcester Academy Performance Center and Walker Hall also were completed, ensuring that humanities and arts classes and faculty have access to learning spaces on par with WA’s excellent science and math classrooms. More recently, Mr. Cino led a far-reaching effort that culminated in the release of a new Strategic Plan and Master Plan for the Academy this month. Initiatives undertaken at his direction also have led to pedagogical changes and new programming, ensuring that Academy graduates are better prepared today to take on the rigors of college and life than at any point in the school’s history.
RONALD M. CINO
Ronald M. Cino became 31st Head of School at Worcester Academy on July 1, 2012. Previously, he had been associate head of school and director of upper school at Worcester Academy, as well as having held numerous other leadership roles at the Academy.
A Brooklyn native, Mr. Cino graduated from Poly Prep Country Day School. He received his B.A. from Trinity College in Hartford, CT, in 1995. Prior to his career at Worcester Academy, he was associate director of admissions (1996-2001) at Trinity College and an admissions counselor (1995-96) at Saint Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ.
Mr. Cino started at Worcester Academy in 2001 as director of college counseling. In 2005, he became director of upper school. In 2010, he was named associate head of school at the Academy. He served as acting head of school for Worcester Academy for the 2010-11 school year. In October of 2011, he was selected to become Worcester Academy’s 31st Head of School in a vote by the Academy’s Board of Trustees following an extensive national search.
He has taught and been an assistant coach and a residential life faculty member at Worcester Academy.
Mr. Cino is married to Nathalie Pérez-Cino, former director of diversity and community relations at the Academy. The couple has three children.
ABOUT WORCESTER ACADEMY
Worcester Academy, founded in 1834, is an exceptional co-educational independent school for day and boarding students in grades 6 through 12 and postgraduates. Through an innovative and thoughtfully designed curriculum, Worcester Academy instills in students a lifelong passion for learning and a foundation of core values that enable them to “Achieve the Honorable” as leaders and world citizens. The school takes pride in its diverse local and international community, and situates its curriculum within a global, multicultural context that helps students develop the independence, confidence, and world-readiness they need to succeed in college and beyond.
For more information, contact Neil Isakson, director of external communications, at 508-459-6918, or e-mail neil.isakson@worcesteracademy.org.
