History & Development

The National School Leaders Network originated with a group of northeast regional school principals who met in 2000 as the guests of the U. S. Department of Education and the Rainwater Charitable Foundation. These principals then served as an Advisory Board to the Principals’ Leadership Network (PLN) at the LAB at Brown University.

These dedicated principals met together for five years to advise the LAB at Brown on various educational leadership projects in the northeast region. Many of the PLN Founding Board principals have become NSLN Facilitators themselves in their own regional areas. NSLN appreciates the contributions of the Founding Board members and wishes to acknowledge the expertise and guidance of the following members:

  • Robin Welch: Principal, Framingham, MA Chair
  • Rich Raiche: Principal, Methuen, MA
  • Brenda Brown, Principal, Topsham, ME
  • George Edwards, Principal, Bow, New Hampshire
  • Michael Rafferty, Principal, Old Saybrook, CT
  • Janice DeFrances, Principal, Rhode Island
  • Jean Campbell, Principal, Rhode Island
  • Rachelle Salerno, Principal, Albany, NY
  • Peter McNally, CSA, NY, NY
  • Mary Jean Fawcett, Principal, Methuen, MA
  • Ada Dolch, Principal, NY, NY
  • Paul Stringer, Principal, Hartford, CT
  • Kevin Miller, Principal, East Hartford, CT
  • Frank Spencer, Principal, Wilmington, VT

In late 2006, the NSLN was incorporated as a nonprofit corporation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Currently, the NSLN has twenty-seven (27) networks across the nation. Funding for the networks is provided by the Rainwater Chairitable Foundation, as well as by regional organizations which support leadership development for school principals. NSLN expects to have fifty (50) networks up and running within the next five years (2012). Cohorts of trained facilitators meet twice a year to share experiences and plan for the future.

School leaders interested in becoming a member or a regional facilitator of a national network committed to heads, hands and hearts working in partnership should access the online NSLN Membership or Facilitator Application.