New Assistant Director of Education Makes Timely Homecoming to a Special Place

Many students, staff, and families already know the school’s new Assistant Director of Education, Kayla Tierney, M.A., CCC-SLP. For seven years, she was a Speech-Language Pathologist for the school before leaving for a position at the public schools. “The League School is a special place, and it feels like a homecoming,” said Kayla. “I believe in the mission and am a strong supporter of the educational model.”

Returning to the school at the beginning of January meant diving in quickly in the midst of a COVID resurgence. Being familiar with the school, history, and student cases helped Kayla jump in. “It’s great to have a person in this critical role who’s familiar with the school, its staff, and students,” said CEO Larry Sauer. “Patrick Fuller (the school’s Director of Education) appreciates her partnership, and she will be helping to implement the Strategic Plan.”

One of the Strategic Plan’s components – staff recruitment and retention – is already on Kayla’s radar. “Fostering a climate and culture that’s supportive and team-based is critical for staff retention,” said Kayla. “Our staff is on the front lines and I will be supporting them so that they feel confident, ready, and joyful.”

Kayla takes over from long-time Assistant Director of Education, Bill Mulcahy, who retired. “I hope I’m Bill 2.0, who was a font of knowledge,” said Kayla. “He always had his door open and was a key resource for staff.” Kayla will be picking up on many of Bill’s project and committee work, including the IEP Improvement Project.

Kayla worked for a public school for the past year and a half after her work at the League School. She introduced the SCERTS® educational model to the Foxboro school system and became the SCERTS Team Leader. In turn, she gained operational and staff accountability skills that apply to her new role at League School. She plans to apply implementation and organizational models she observed.

Prior to her initial position at the League School, she was a Speech-Language Pathologist for the Autism Project and for Commūnicāre, LLC, in Ludlow, Massachusetts. She earned a Masters of Arts in Communication Disorders from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor of Science in Communicative Disorders from the University of Rhode Island.