Joel D. Boyd is a Harvard-trained educator whose career has spanned from the classroom to the principalship to the central administration of some of the nation’s largest school systems. In 2019, Dr. Boyd was appointed as the 20th Superintendent of Lowell Public Schools (LPS) following a nationwide search by Massachusetts’s fourth largest city. As chief executive of one of the commonwealth’s most diverse school systems, Dr. Boyd oversees the education of nearly 15,000 students, manages a total annual operating budget of approximately 200 million dollars and leads a team of almost 3,000 employees.

Upon arriving in Lowell, Superintendent Boyd immediately set out to make LPS the highest performing school district in MA. In his entry and learning plan, he laid out goals for his first 100 days in office and committed to building a long-term strategic plan for the district with input from every part of the community. Within days, Dr. Boyd also took steps to redefine the role of central office, improve support for principals and stabilize the district’s budget after several years of fiscal uncertainty. His beginning efforts have been widely praised for re-focusing and re-energizing the entire organization.

Previously, Dr. Boyd served as superintendent of Santa Fe Public Schools, one of the largest school systems in New Mexico. Under his leadership, the district achieved significant results with more children graduating from high school than ever before. In recognition of the progress Santa Fe Public Schools made during his tenure, Dr. Boyd was honored with the 2014 Excellence in Education Award by the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to coming to Lowell, Dr. Boyd also served in key, district-level leaderships positions in Boston Public Schools (Boston, MA), the School District of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) and Miami-Dade County Public Schools (Miami, FL).

In 2006, Dr. Boyd was selected as one of just six educators nationally for a fellowship to complete his doctorate at Harvard University in the top-rated Urban Superintendents Program. Published in 2012, his dissertation research focuses on the career factors and pathways that lead to success in urban school district leadership. He also holds a Master’s degree in Education Policy and Management from Harvard University, a Master’s degree in School leadership from Wilmington College, and a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Delaware.

Superintendent Boyd resides in Lowell with his wife, Keza, and their rescue dog, Abbey.