Barbara Mullen

Dr. Mullen previously served as the Assistant Superintendent of the Office of Student Services for Cambridge Public Schools in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she oversaw a $70 million operating budget and 520 employees – more than one quarter of the district’s entire workforce. Dr. Mullen has a proven track record of success and has played a direct role in improving student outcomes in districts that combine to serve over 20,000 students. She is highly regarded for her work as a turnaround specialist. As a leader of the turnaround team in Providence, Rhode Island, Dr. Mullen secured $20 million in federal funding to support the district’s work. She also led the effort which helped cut the failure rate for Secondary Special Education students in half over the course of a single school year. As the Special Education Lead for the Houston ISD turnaround in 2016-2017, she oversaw the implementation of the district’s strategic vision for inclusion support across 275 schools which resulted in academic gains and improved IEP fulfillment across the district. The importance of education has been ingrained in Dr. Mullen’s values since childhood. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois as the child of two educators. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University. She earned a master’s degree in special education from Quincy University and holds a Ph.D. in Special Education Administration and Leadership from Capella University. She has served as an adjunct professor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Mullen is a proud and active member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, an organization that was founded over 100 years ago with a clear focus on affecting positive change. She has been an active member of the civic community in the regions where she has lived and worked, most recently serving as the Vice Chair of WaterFire Arts and as a member of the United Way of Rhode Island Board of Trustees. She lives in the Henrietta area with her spouse and two children.