EAST GREENWICH – Thomas Kenworthy, who has more than 30 years of experience as a public school educator in Rhode Island and has been the superintendent of schools in Portsmouth since 2020, will now move much closer to home to serve as superintendent in the East Greenwich School District.
Kenworthy succeeds Brian G. Ricca, who was forced out from the position after receiving a no-confidence vote from teachers.
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Alexis Meyer, who had worked in the district for close to three decades – including briefly serving as superintendent from 2020 through 2022 – briefly served as interim superintendent.
Town school officials say Kenworthy, an East Greenwich resident for the last 19 years, will formally become superintendent on Aug. 12. His appointment was unanimously approved by the East Greenwich School Committee on July 8.
“[Kenworthy’s] track record of leadership, commitment to student success and personal connection to East Greenwich make him the ideal choice to lead our district into the future,” School Committee Chairperson Alyson Powell said in a statement. “We look forward to partnering with him as we continue to build on East Greenwich’s tradition of educational excellence.”
Kenworthy, a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, led the Portsmouth School Department through the COVID-19 pandemic, led voter approval of the largest school construction bond in the town’s history, and successfully oversaw the completion of multiple capital projects, EGSD said. Also, the district says Portsmouth saw all four of its schools earn four- or five-star ratings with the state while under Kenworthy’s leadership.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
