THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 30, 2021 Page 3 ~ THE ADVOCATE ASKS ~ New Saugus Public Schools Superintendent Erin McMahon discusses the grandmother who inspired her to become a career educator Editor’s Note: For this week’s interview, we sat down with the new Saugus Public Schools Superintendent, Erin McMahon, who officially began her new job on July 1. McMahon, a Marblehead resident, worked most recently as the senior advisor to Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley. She prefers to keep her family life private, but does credit her late grandmother, Elizabeth D. “Bette” (Driscoll) McMahon, with her decision to pursue a career in the education field. Early last month, the School Committee approved a five-year contract for McMahon, making her the first woman to lead the town’s public education system. She succeeds David DeRuosi, Jr., who retired on June 30 after five years as superintendent. McMahon’s career as an educator took her from an English as a Second Language teacher in Washington, D.C., in 1995 to several principal and teacher administrative posts in New York City and Denver, Colorado. Before Commissioner Riley hired her, she had worked the previous six years as associate chief of academics and innovation in Denver Public Schools. She also served three years as a regional superintendent overseeing 6,200 students in 14 schools. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Yale University in New Haven, Conn. She was a member of the Yale University Women’s Soccer Team and was Vice President of Pi Beta Phi Sorority. She received her Master of Business Administration, Finance and Operations at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. She also earned a Master of Science degree in Education Leadership from Pace University in New York City. Just before joining Commissioner Riley’s staff, she was the chief program officer/chief academic officer of Kipp Foundation, which involved 224 schools serving 115,000 students in New York City. Earlier in her career, she had worked eight years in the New York City Department of Education, including time as principal of the Henry Street School for International Studies. Highlights of this week’s interview follow: Q: What about your family? You live in Marblehead. Are you married and have children? A: You know, I don’t tend to talk about my family. I do live in Marblehead. My family and I live in Marblehead. Like every family, I’m really fortunate. My larger extended family lives in Massachusetts in the Worcester area. What’s really fun is I have an Irish THE TRANSITION: Outgoing Saugus Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David DeRuosi, Jr. (left) and new Superintendent Erin McMahon at Saugus High School graduation ceremonies last month. McMahon took over as the new superintendent on July 1. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) HER HERO AND MENTOR: Elizabeth D. “Bette” (Driscoll) McMahon (left) shared a moment with her granddaughter – Erin McMahon – after she received her Master of Business Administration degree from Cornell University in 2003. Erin McMahon, the new superintendent of Saugus Public Schools, says her grandmother – a career educator – influenced her to pursue a career in education. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) Catholic side to me and I also got French Canadian and Scotch. My mom’s side came down from Quebec and they are French Canadians and French speaking; and then I have my Irish Catholic side who came in from Ireland. And my grandmother was a teacher in multiple towns in the Worcester area and South Worcester. She started teaching in Grafton. Q: Is she still alive? A: No. She passed away in 2009. Q: How many years was she teaching? A: She ended up as a director of literacy. She actually started her career working for the FBI, which is where she met my grandfather. My grandfather was an attorney and he was in the JAG Corps and he worked in the FBI during the Second World War, and that’s where he and my ASKS | SEE PAGE 4
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