BEVERLY — Three finalists have been named in the search for a new superintendent.
Peter Cushing, Sean Gallagher and Jennifer Turner were chosen from 17 applicants by the district’s Screening Committee of Beverly Schools administrators, teachers, parents, community members, Mayor Mike Cahill and School Committee Chair Rachael Abell this spring, the School Committee said in a statement Wednesday night.
The finalist will be chosen through a vote by the School Committee on April 17 following public interviews and visits to the district from April 14-16.
Starting July 1, the new superintendent will replace Suzanne Charochak, who has led the district since 2019 and announced this winter she would be stepping down from the role at the end of the school year.
“We are pleased with the pool of qualified candidates who applied for this role and are eager for the community to meet, hear from and question these leaders in the next phase of this process,” Abell said in the statement.
“Our schools need a leader who can carry on the strong work of Superintendent Suzanne Charochak and who is committed to our mission, vision and values for Beverly Schools now and into the future.”
Cushing has been the assistant superintendent of enrichment and innovation for Medford Public Schools since 2019. Before that, he was a principal at Bartlett High School in Webster from 2018-2019, assistant principal of Narragansett Middle School in Templeton from 2011-2018 and vice principal of Narragansett Regional High School from 2008-2011.
He also taught history at Lynn Classical and Arlington high schools. He has a bachelor’s in politics from Saint Anselm College, a master’s in educational administration and a doctorate in education from Boston College.
Gallagher has been the superintendent of Newburyport Public Schools since 2018. From 2016-2018, he was assistant superintendent in Wilmington Public Schools, was the principal of Beverly High School from 2006-2016 and a dean of students and athletic director at Salem High School from 2002-2005.
He was previously a health and science teacher in Salem, a special education teacher in Lynn and a health teacher in Everett. Gallagher has a bachelor’s in health and physical education from Salem State University, a master’s in organizational management from Endicott College and has completed pre-doctoral coursework at the National Institute of School Leadership.
Gallagher also graduated from the Lowell Police Academy and has an associate’s in law enforcement from Dean College.
Turner has been the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Melrose Public Schools since 2022. She was the principal of Diamond Middle School in Lexington from 2016-2022 and assistant principal of that town’s Clarke Middle School between 2010-2016.
She has taught English at North Reading Middle School, special education at Miles River Middle School in Hamilton and the humanities and special education at Wamsutta Middle School in Attleboro.
She has a bachelor’s in English and secondary education from Stonehill College, a master’s in special needs from Simmons University and a doctorate in educational leadership from Northeastern University.
At the request of the School Committee, the Screening Committee added one of the candidates to its list of three finalists after another finalist dropped out late last month.
Abell declined to comment on who the candidate was or which of the three current candidates were chosen to replace them.
The district has worked with Field Director Alicia Mallon of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to coordinate the search on behalf of the School Committee.
For more information about the superintendent search or to provide feedback on the candidates based on their interviews and district visits later this month, go to beverlyschools.org.
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com.