April 19, 2023
Sheila M. Harrity, Ed.D. ’87
Educator, 2014 National High School Principal of the Year
Doctor of Education
Sheila M. Harrity, Ed.D. ’87, the youngest of seven children from Worcester, Massachusetts, came to Providence College to play basketball and study social work. In 1985-1986, her junior year, the women’s team finished first in the BIG EAST with a 24-6 record and qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
After graduation, she earned two master’s degrees, one in early childhood education from Worcester State University and one in moderate special needs education from Assumption College. She also received a doctorate in educational leadership from Northeastern University.
While teaching public school in Worcester, Dr. Harrity was asked to address the dropout rate in the city’s high schools. In a pilot program, 47 students were invited back to the classroom, and Dr. Harrity taught them mathematics, career exploration, and basketball. The program grew to serve 450 students. In 1997, she was named Worcester Public Schools Teacher of the Year.
In 2006, Dr. Harrity was tapped to become principal of the new Worcester Technical High School, a $90 million building that included a bank, spa, bakery, veterinary clinic, restaurant, graphics shop, and automotive garage. Worcester Tech was named a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, establishing it as one of the 286 best public and private schools in the country, and Dr. Harrity was named Massachusetts Principal of the Year in 2013. The following year, she was named National High School Principal of the Year and honored at a White House reception. President Barack Obama was the school’s graduation speaker.
From 2014 until her retirement in 2022, Dr. Harrity was superintendent of the Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, the second largest vocational district in the state, serving nearly 1,500 students from 18 communities. She also served as vice chair of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education from 2015-2022.
In 2022, Dr. Harrity became coordinator of the Extended Campus Program run by the Massachusetts Association of Vocational Administrators in collaboration with Fitchburg State University and Westfield State University. The program helps vocational teachers and administrators earn professional licenses and college degrees.
Dr. Harrity and her husband reside in Franconia, New Hampshire, and have two daughters.
