Mary Skipper

Mary Skipper serves as Superintendent of Boston Public Schools following her successful tenure at Somerville Public Schools as Superintendent. She is known as an innovative thinker, a passionate advocate for all youth, and a strategic systems builder whose approach focused on leveraging community resources to support students. Her agenda centers on ensuring equitable access to quality education and experiences for all students with priorities including: accelerating academic performance, expanding social-emotional learning, streamlining operations for student safety, strengthening family and community engagement, improving communication with families and staff, and increasing accountability across the district.

As Superintendent of Somerville Public Schools, Skipper achieved significant milestones, including reducing the dropout rate at Somerville High School to an all-time low of 0.5% and raising the four-year graduation rate to a record 92.5%. Before that, as a Network Superintendent for Boston Public Schools, she oversaw 34 high schools and 19,500 students, where she also contributed to notable improvements in dropout and graduation rates. Earlier, Skipper founded TechBoston Academy, growing it from a small high school of 75 students into a 6-12 school serving over 1,000 students, including English Language Learners and Special Education students.

Skipper holds degrees from Tufts, Harvard, and Columbia Teachers College. She and her husband, Peter, have three children and four grandchildren and have called Dorchester home for 25 years.