Board of Ed Chooses Former Norwalk Resident as New Superintendent

Dr. Manuel Rivera has been named the superintendent of Norwalk Public Schools.

The announcement was made Monday that Rivera will begin at his new position July 18, subject to approval of his contract by the Norwalk Board of Education July 9, according to The Hour.

Rivera was a Norwalk resident in the past and is familiar with the area, Board Chairman Mike Lyons said.

"(Rivera) lived in Norwalk for many years and his children attended Silvermine, West Rocks and Norwalk High Schools. One of his daughters graduated with the Class of 2004 at NHS,” Lyons said in a statement published in The Hour.

The Board began searching for a new superintendent on March 19 to replace Interim Superintendent Anthony Daddona. 

Daddona had assumed the position in August 2012 in the wake of former Superintendent Susan Marks' resignation on July 13, which she said at the time was because of personal reasons. Marks' contract was due to expire in 2014, but instead, her last day was Aug. 17, 2012.

The new superintendent, Rivera, was formerly the superintendent of Rochester Public Schools, where he oversaw 47,000 students, 56 schools and 6,000 employees. He was also selected as the American Association of School Superintendents' 2006 National Superintendent of the Year.

He also has experience with trying to close the achievement gap, which affects minority students—he earned the Congressional Black Caucus' Technology to Empower Community Champion award in 2005.

Rivera holds a degree in urban studies from Brandeis University and master's and doctorate degrees in education from Harvard University. Rivera has also been deputy secretary of education for the state of New York and has worked with Edison Schools, Inc., and Education Learning Alliance, Inc., both in the private sector.