Philip Martell
Superintendent, River Valley School District
Mr. Martell champions future-ready learners at River Valley School District by inspiring district stakeholders to embrace innovation that provides high-quality learning for all students. Since joining the district as Superintendent in 2020, Mr. Martell has advanced opportunities for students from Pre-K to 12th grade. After successfully reconfiguring the former Blairsville-Saltsburg School District into River Valley School District, Mr. Martell saw an opportunity to repurpose a vacant building into the River Valley Academies at Saltsburg, which now houses an early childhood learning academy, a cyber academy, and the River Valley STEAM Academy.
Mr. Martell is committed to creating authentic learning environments, challenging the status quo, and requiring its stakeholders to fail forward and embrace change through the design process. This progressive approach provides stakeholders with positive outcomes beyond increased academic achievement, equity through personalized learning, and STEAM access for all.
With more than 15 years in leadership roles in the K-12 public education sector and significant engagement in the broader educational and local government community, Mr. Martell formulates data-driven school objectives, policies, plans, and programs based on extensive research and performance metrics designed to meet the unique needs of the community.