The Philip Regional School District has announced that Dr. Rich Drolet will join the district as its new superintendent later this year.

Drolet currently serves as the superintendent of the Seekonk Public Schools, where he has served since 2018. On July 1, he will succeed Superintendent Paul Zinni, who is retiring on June 30, pending the successful completion of contract negotiations.

“Dr. Drolet brings a wealth of experience in education and leadership with him to the district, and I am excited to see the ways in which he supports King Philip’s growth in the years to come,” Superintendent Zinni said. “I’ve been fortunate to consider Dr. Drolet a colleague in recent years and am confident he will make an immediate positive impact on our students, staff and community as a whole.”

In Seekonk, Drolet oversaw the development of a three-year Strategy for Continuous District Improvement, which served as a precursor to the district’s five-year District Strategy for Student Success. This strategic plan serves as a complement to Seekonk’s Vision of a Graduate.

In addition, Drolet served on committees that oversaw an expansion of Aitken Elementary School, an installation of Seekonk High School’s turf field and track facility and the construction of Seekonk Transitions Academy — a special education program for adults between the ages of 18-22. Drolet has also spearheaded Seekonk’s work in adding key positions to lower class sizes.

Prior to joining Seekonk Public Schools, Drolet served as the Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Accountability for the Uxbridge Public Schools. In that role, he developed a district-wide teacher mentoring program, oversaw the district’s English Language Learners program and authored grants to support programming related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and sustainability. He also facilitated literacy programming and served as Uxbridge’s Title IX Coordinator, among other responsibilities.

Drolet has also served as a consultant in educational leadership, providing professional development support for teachers and principals with King Philip and the Taunton Public Schools.

Drolet has served as a building-level administrator in Cumberland, Rhode Island, working as an assistant principal and principal at North Cumberland Middle School — being named Rhode Island’s Middle School Principal of the Year in 2013 — and as a principal at McCloskey Middle School in Uxbridge. He began his career in education as an elementary school teacher in Virginia in 2000 and moved into a middle school classroom in Natick in 2002.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Colorado, a master’s degree in education from Rhode Island College and a doctorate degree in educational leadership from Johnson & Wales University. He’s also earned a certificate of advanced graduate study in school administration from Cambridge College.