East Hartford grad named new schools superintendent, the first person of color to fill the role

Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant
Updated ·2 min read
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The East Hartford Board of Education announced on Wednesday it has appointed East Hartford native Thomas Anderson as the new superintendent of schools, effective July 1.

Anderson will become the first person of color to lead the town’s schools. He will succeed Nathan Quesnel, who was appointed superintendent in 2012. Quesnel is leaving East Hartford to become head of school at Norwich Free Academy.

Anderson most recently has been superintendent of schools in New Bedford, Massachusetts, from 2018 to the present, and Randolph, Massachusetts, from 2014 to 2018.

Anderson, 52, called the chance to guide his hometown’s schools “a dream, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“I love what I do. I love working in New Bedford. This is what it would take to get me to leave there,” he said.

Anderson moved to East Hartford when he was in third grade. He graduated from East Hartford High in 1988, then spent a year at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. He majored in Communications and minored in English at University of Rhode Island, then went to Howard University to get his masters in Education, according to the district’s release.

His first teaching job was at East Hartford High School. Later, he was assistant/instructional superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools, principal of schools in Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, Maryland, and executive director and founding principal of the Larry Hawkins Charter School in Chicago.

On Wednesday, when he was announced as the new superintendent, Anderson unexpectedly ran into an old friend.

“I was really surprised to see my high school track coach coming in, Bill Baron. I still call him Mr. Baron,” he said. “He retired years ago. We had great track teams in high school. I have great memories of that.”

Anderson lives in Framingham, Massachusetts with his wife, Gretchen Cook-Anderson. They have two sons and a daughter. Anderson’s parents, and one of his brothers, still live in East Hartford.

Board of Education Chair Tyron Harris said, “Mr. Anderson brings an enormous wealth of experience and a deep knowledge of and family ties in East Hartford. We are confident he is the right leader to take the helm.”

Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.