Nativity School of Worcester Announces New President

The Nativity School of Worcester has announced the hiring of its next president Alex Zequeira, an experienced educator, administrator and coach.  Zequeira, who served as the school’s founding principal from 2003-04, will return in his new role this July.  He succeeds Matthew Brunell, president since 2006, who has been named Chief Operating Officer for Building Excellent Schools (BES), a national organization committed to improving the academic achievement of students in urban areas.

“We are delighted to have Alex back at Nativity-Worcester,” says Charles “Chick” Weiss, a founding trustee of the school, chairman of the board of trustees, and director of grants, foundation and corporate giving at the College of the Holy Cross.  “He is a very talented teacher, highly effective administrator and strong leader who will work to solidify the school’s record of financial stability and help its students reach for the stars.”

A 1994 graduate of Holy Cross, Zequeira is currently the Dean of Upper School at Wooster School in Danbury, Conn., where he has also taught Spanish and history and coached several athletic teams since 2008.  From 2004-08, he served as the executive director of the alumni association, as well as a teacher, advisor and coach at Belen Jesuit Preparatory in Miami, where he completed his own middle and high school education.

“Jesuit education has been the cornerstone of my personal life and professional career, and it is truly an honor for me to be rejoining the Nativity School of Worcester community,” says Zequeira.  “In a time of immense challenges for both educators and children, Nativity-Worcester continues to succeed in inspiring young men to strive for the best and become life-long learners.  I am thrilled to join a truly dedicated board, administration, and faculty who work in a strong partnership with the families of the school.”

Prior to becoming the first principal of the Nativity School of Worcester in 2003, Zequeira was the assistant director of admission at Kingswood-Oxford School in West Hartford, Conn., where he worked in several capacities for nine years.

Zequeira is a native of Miami and the son of Cuban immigrants.  He will be relocating to Worcester this summer, with his wife Jessika and their son Zakary.

The Nativity School of Worcester (www.nativityworcester.org) is a tuition-free, accredited, independent, Jesuit middle school that offers a high quality education focused on academic, physical, social, moral and spiritual development to students from Worcester’s low-income urban families who would not otherwise have access to such an education.  Founded in 2003, through the efforts of Holy Cross President Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., the Jesuit Community at Holy Cross and the Society of Jesus of New England, the school is modeled upon the Jesuit-based Nativity Network, which opened its first school in 1971 on the Lower East Side of New York City.  Nativity School of Worcester is supported solely through the generous contributions of individuals, organizations, corporations and foundations.