Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am thrilled to announce that after an extensive national search, the Great Schools Partnership community found its next leader among our talented team members. On September 1, 2024, Paulina Murton—our current managing director of engagement and networking—will become our next executive director. Paulina brings a wealth of understanding to this work, tremendous skill, thoughtful humanity, and deep commitment to our collective mission and purpose. We are eager and excited to move forward with her in this role.

About Paulina Murton

Paulina has over two decades of experience as an educator, having worked as a teacher, instructional coach, and non-profit leader in a variety of school settings throughout New England and in Texas. In her work with the Breakthrough Collaborative, Paulina managed partnerships with school leaders across multiple districts, oversaw an intensive teacher training program, and supported a program team in their work with students and families. In her role as a managing director at GSP, Paulina works closely with the executive director, overseeing school district contracts and partnerships as well as supporting the work of the operations, network, and communications teams. She graduated with a B.A. in American literature from Middlebury College and completed her MAT in secondary English from Brown University. Paulina also earned a certificate in social impact, management, and nonprofit leadership from Tufts University. She is a fluent Spanish speaker and currently lives in Portland, Maine.

In Her Own Words

Paulina believes relationships, student-centered learning, and a teaching force that reflects the diversity of its student body are central to creating just, effective, and joyful school communities. In her own words, “I am excited to step into this new role at GSP and look forward to supporting our talented team in their work to coach for educational equity across the region and country. Challenging imbalances of power and privilege within the education field requires attention and perseverance to work at all levels of the system from the classroom to the community and from the school board to the state level. I look forward to building partnerships, supporting our team, and growing the organization to achieve our mission.”

From David Ruff and the Board of Directors

David Ruff, our retiring executive director, is a visionary leader and passionate advocate who dedicated his professional life to the cause of equitable access to quality education. Since the founding of GSP in 2007, David’s efforts have made a lasting impact on schools, teachers, and most importantly, countless students across Maine, New England, and beyond. While his are big shoes to fill, David—and GSP’s Board of Directors—know Paulina is the right person for the job.

“After 17 years of groundbreaking work supporting educators, students, families, and policy makers, GSP is poised to move forward with our commitment to ensuring deep and equitable learning for each student; Paulina is the right person to lead GSP into its next successful chapter,” said David Ruff. “Her deep knowledge of this work, the strong support she has internally from our staff and externally from our partners, and her powerful commitment to our vision and mission promise a great future for the organization. I am eager to watch the staff at GSP continue to innovate and collaborate to realize educational equity.”

“I could not be more thrilled to welcome Paulina as our new executive director,” said Julia Trujillo Luengo, both a member of the board and the search committee. “Her deep belief and understanding of educational equity coupled with her superb ability to amplify voices to advance our work within our core tenants will deeply strengthen our critical work. She is thoughtful beyond measure, a persistent visionary and a superb executor, who easily connects the fundamentals of strategic visioning, culture, and sound fiscal management. I am excited for this next chapter of GSP and everything we will be able to accomplish with Paulina as our leader. Bienvenida, Paulina!”

Paulina is the ideal leader to guide the Great Schools Partnership into its next chapter. Her wealth of understanding, exceptional leadership skills, and unwavering commitment to our mission will give GSP the lift it needs to move our transformational work forward. Throughout our many discussions with Paulina, we were continually impressed with her future-focused vision for GSP. I am grateful that we will continue to work closely with Paulina in her new role as executive director.

Please join me in welcoming Paulina to the role and thanking David for his many years of service to the Great Schools Partnership community.

With gratitude,

Sean Findlen

GSP Board President