Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises Named Superintendent in Residence at The Broad Center
Santelises, who has led the district for nearly a decade, will mentor mid-career and senior education leaders through The Broad Center’s master’s degree and fellowship programs.
Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises, the longtime CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, will become the second superintendent in residence at The Broad Center at Yale SOM, starting with the 2025-26 academic year. In this role, Santelises will lead content facilitation for the current Fellowship for Public Education Leadership program cohort, teach in and support the Master’s in Public Education Management degree program, and provide mentorship to members across the Broad alumni network, especially those interested in district leadership roles.
“Sonja has worked tirelessly to craft meaningful curricula, make her district’s facilities more sustainable, modernize vocational training, and respond to the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID pandemic,” said Yale SOM Dean Kerwin K. Charles. “I am delighted that The Broad Center’s community of committed education leaders will be able to learn from her years of experience and benefit from her guidance.”
Santelises will succeed Dr. William Hite, who served as The Broad Center’s inaugural superintendent in residence for four years. “We are grateful to Dr. Hite for originating this important role,” Charles said. “He will have a lasting impact on The Broad Center.”
Natasha Trivers, assistant dean and the Anita and Joshua Bekenstein ’80 B.A. Executive Director of The Broad Center, said that as superintendent in residence Hite “has impacted dozens of leaders each year as they learn, grow, and recommit to public education”—including Trivers herself. “I remember when I was a Broad fellow, feeling drained and disenchanted with K-12 public education systems leadership. He told me that leaders like me are needed for the next phase of this work. This was so reinvigorating for me.”
Santelises has led the Baltimore Public Schools since 2016. During her tenure, she introduced new curricula for students from kindergarten to high school that emphasized connections to their lived experiences. She presided over a multiyear process of adapting the city’s career and technical education programs to focus on in-demand jobs that earn a living wage. She also oversaw the opening of 24 new school buildings, including the district’s first two “net-zero” facilities, which produce as much energy as they use.
Santelises is particularly known for her agile response to the COVID pandemic. Thanks to the implementation of a school-based asymptomatic testing program that earned national recognition, Baltimore City Public Schools were among the first in the U.S. to safely re-open after the onset of the pandemic.
Previously, Santelises occupied other education leadership roles in Baltimore; worked at the Education Trust, a national nonprofit focused on closing the achievement gap; and served as an assistant superintendent in the Boston public school system, where she led a network of pilot schools focused on accelerating achievement for low-income students.
“Sonja’s leadership in Baltimore has left a legacy of progress, persistence, and partnership,” said Hite. “Now, at the Broad Center, she will shape the next generation of leaders who will carry forward that same commitment to students and communities nationwide.”
The Broad Center supports urban public school system leaders in honing their skills through two tuition-free programs: a Master’s Degree in Public Education Management for transformational leaders looking to increase their impact, and a Fellowship for Public Education Leadership, for senior leaders working in critical school districts across the country. The Broad Center also develops essential research on effective public education and fosters connection among practitioners through a close-knit alumni network.
Santelises said she was honored to contribute to The Broad Center’s tradition of advancing excellence in public education. “It is vital that educators strengthen our skills and renew our commitment to ensuring every young person has access to opportunity,” she said. “I look forward to engaging deeply in this work, while bringing the lessons and experiences from the Broad program back to Baltimore.”
Trivers noted that Santelises’s leadership offers mentees a blueprint for responding to the unique challenges of the current moment. “From adapting to a changing climate to prioritizing student safety and learning in the midst of a pandemic, Sonja has embraced transformation when her district needed it most,” Trivers said. “I am excited for our national community to learn from her deep expertise and her powerful and strategic leadership.”
