Executive Team

Dr. Marisa Mendonsa has been an educator in public school systems for over twenty five years. Prior to becoming Superintendent, she was the Deputy Superintendent for the Pittsfield Public Schools. Dr. Mendonsa has served as a secondary social studies teacher, assistant principal and principal. She began her career in rural North Carolina as a member of Teach For America. Her career has spanned rural, suburban and urban communities including Springfield, and Mohawk Trail Regional School. Dr. Mendonsa uses the knowledge gained from her doctorate in antiracist leadership from American University to ensure that schools are engaging in antiracist practices and procedures that move beyond statements and provide actionable responses to issues of diversity, equity, belonging and inclusion. 

Dr. Mendonsa successfully oversaw the reimagining of a comprehensive high school in western Massachusetts where distributed leadership, equity and collaboration were used to redesign the program of studies, building schedule and SEL supports for students. As Deputy Superintendent in Pittsfield, Dr. Mendonsa oversaw the implementation of an equity plan focused on the student and staff experience including professional development for principals and district leaders rooted  in equity minded leadership.

In addition to her doctorate, she has a B.S. in Secondary Education/History from Springfield College, a master’s degree in Multicultural/ESL/Bilingual Education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership from UMass Amherst. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she and her wife are the proud parents of two daughters and two wonder pups, Finley and Monte. 

Executive Assistant to Superintendent 

• Andrea Landry
  781-314-5401 

Executive Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee

• Michelle Kern 
  781-314-5402

Dr. Shannon Conley brings over 25 years of diverse and transformative experience to her current role as the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction for the Waltham Public Schools. Before joining the Waltham Public Schools, Dr. Conley served in the Worcester Public Schools, as the Executive Director of the South Quadrant and Director of Alternative Programs/Student Supports. Dr. Conley has vast experience in the K-12 educational setting beginning as a middle school teacher. Her dedication to improving literacy outcomes then led her to serve as a K-12 literacy coach, where she mentored colleagues and implemented research-based reading and writing strategies across grade levels.

Her leadership trajectory continued into administration, where she excelled as a secondary assistant principal before transitioning into a principalship. During her tenure as a principal in the Wachusett Regional School District, her school received the prestigious designation of a State Commendation School.  Returning to the Worcester Public Schools she led schools to remarkable accountability gains, work that was recognized with her being named the 2019 Worcester Public Schools Administrator of the Year. Following this success, she successfully guided the Dr. Arthur Sullivan Middle School out of Turnaround status through targeted intervention, collaborative team-building, and a renewed focus on instructional rigor.

Dr. Conley holds a Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) with a specialization in Transformative School Leadership from Northeastern University. She also earned her Master’s in Education from Worcester State College and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Dr. Conley currently resides in Worcester, where she lives with her husband and their four children.

• 781-314-5404

Administrative Assistant

• Chyna Kavan 
  781-314-5407

Dr. Kingsley is a Massachusetts educator and systems leader with experience across district and school-based roles, including work in alternative and therapeutic programs and in special education and student services in Medford, Malden, and a multi-site charter school. She recently completed her Ed.L.D. at Harvard University, where her capstone focused on mission clarity, strategic coherence, and building organizational capacity in complex systems. Outside of work, Dr. Kingsley is a parent of three, a Girl Scout Brownie troop leader, and a Girls on the Run coach. She looks forward to meeting staff, learning alongside the Waltham community, and beginning this work together.

• 781-314-5428 
• lisakingsley@walthampublicschools.org 
   

• Administrative Assistants 
  Dorothea Wheeler 
  781-314-5530
  dorotheawheeler@walthampublicschools.org  
   
• Jordan Peloquin
  781-314-5430                      
  jordanpeloquin@walthampublicschools.org
   
• Diane Hartman, Out of District 
  781-314-5431 
  dianehartman@walthampublicschools.org

Kate Peretz has been an educator in Massachusetts for more than 25 years and has been an advocate and mentor for teachers, students, and families in three public school districts before joining Waltham Public Schools as the Administrator of Human Resources. Kate taught 5th and 6th grade in Acton-Boxborough for 17 years, and was the chair of the Professional Rights and Responsibilities committee for the local teacher association. She was also the coordinator of the Beginning Teacher Mentor Program for all educators from preK-12. Kate was a building principal at the elementary level in both Franklin, MA, and Arlington, MA. Kate was a member of the central office team in Arlington before coming to Waltham in 2024.

Kate holds a BA in Communications from Fordham University in NYC, and a Master’s Degree in Literacy and Language from Framingham State University. Kate has studied Social Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching with William James College and holds a certificate in these areas through WJC. She has studied human resources through coursework with the American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) and holds the Professional Human Capital Leader in Education certification. 

Kate’s goal is to engage with all members of the Waltham and WPS community to continue the work of achieving an equitable and empowering educational experience for all.

• 781-314-5406

Dr. Porch has over 23 years experience in secondary and postsecondary education in public, charter, private, and higher education organizations and settings. He has held school-based roles, as well as roles in district leadership across 4 different school districts. Ray was most recently Director of Family and Community Engagement in Cambridge Public Schools. Prior to that role he was the Chief of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts.

Ray has previously served in various school-based administrative roles, including serving as a Principal, Director of Instruction at K8 level, Dean, and Director of Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices/School Climate & Culture. Dr. Porch began his career as a Middle School math teacher and in Boston Public Schools. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Masters Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He has recently completed a PhD at Canterbury University in London, studying Comparative International Educational Leadership. Dr. Porch comes with a keen lens on cultural competency and relational leadership approaches and strategy.

As the Chief of Family and Community Engagement, Dr. Porch implements and oversees the district’s family and community engagement strategy. Some of the initiatives he will support will be to provide direct family outreach programming, ensuring and increasing the alignment and support for school and district-based community partnerships, and promoting parent/caregiver 2-way communication, leadership and direction in facilitating additional school and district strategies that ensure parent/ caregiver advocacy, connectivity and voice aligned with the district’s strategic objectives.

Outside of his educator leadership Ray enjoys time with family (wife, daughter and grandson) involvement with community and reading.