Region -? Patrick Collins has been named as the new superintendent of the Assabet Valley Regional Vocational School District. Collins, the district's current assistant superintendent/business director, will be taking over for Mary Jo Nawrocki, who will be retiring June 30.
According to a press release from the district, Collins came to Assabet in 2007 from the? Shrewsbury Public Schools where he was the director of business services. Prior to that, he spent a little over a year at Dean College overseeing purchasing, auxiliary services, and campus safety.
“My real education and qualifications, however, came from being an officer in the United States Marines. That's where I learned leadership and management training, with lots of responsibilities at a relatively early age. I admit it was also a lot of fun along the way, especially being based out of Hawaii much of the time, but the skills and experiences I gained have been invaluable in every position since,” Collins said.
Laura Ross, who represents Maynard on the Assabet Valley School Committee, chaired the search team.
“We posted and advertised the position, and the other members of the committee (Virginia Simms George, Northborough, and Joseph Valiaroti, Marlborough) and I screened all the applications, narrowing it down to four highly qualified individuals,” she said in the press release. “Three of the four chose to come in for the interview (one pulled his application) and, although all three were excellent candidates, Pat was clearly the best person for the position. His vision, professionalism, dedication and attention to detail were very impressive.”
Collins is a resident of Shrewsbury, where he lives with his wife, Andrea, and three children, Patrick, Meghan, and Haley. He is also the son of John Collins, who was the superintendent of Shrewsbury Public Schools for 16 years, retiring in 1993.
