Joanne Manginelli has been named the University of Connecticut’s program coordinator for the Wallace Foundation’s University Preparation Program Initiative (UPPI) in the Department of Educational Leadership. Prior to this role, Manginelli was Director of Professional Learning and subsequently Executive Leadership Coach of Hartford Public Schools, where she helped design and recruit for the UConn/Hartford PLUS Administrator Preparation (UCAPP) program cohort.

The Wallace Foundation UPPI project is a $47 million initiative to research, improve upon, and change the way that principals are trained. At UConn, the UPPI team will work on improving the UCAPP program to meet the goals set through the Wallace initiative. Manginelli has worked closely in developing and implementing principal preparation programs, and comes to this role hoping to use her knowledge and experience to help meet the goals established for the UCAPP program. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor for the UCAPP program.

The director of UCAPP, Dr. Richard Gonzales, describes the UConn UPPI project as a “vast undertaking”, for which Manginelli will be an “asset to organizing and contributing to the continuous improvement effort.” The Wallace Foundation emphasizes that this initiative is a vital one for improving schools and education as a whole.

“I am really looking forward to working with the UCAPP and UPPI team members,” Manginelli says. “They are all exemplary educators and I value their commitment to this work.”

Manginelli obtained her BS in Music Education at the University of Bridgeport in 1975. She earned her Master of Science in Early Childhood Education at Southern Connecticut State University in 1993, along with her sixth year diploma in Educational Leadership in 2005.

“She brings a wealth of quality experience as a practitioner and knows our program well,” says Dr. Gonzales. “We are pleased to welcome Joanne to the UCAPP team.”

Joanne can be reached at Joanne.Manginelli@uconn.edu