Tonight, the School Board appointed Dr. Leslie C. Ricciardelli as superintendent of schools of Collier County Public Schools (CCPS). Among the five member School Board, the vote was 3-2, with Erick Carter, Kelly Lichter, and Stephanie Lucarelli voting in favor of Dr. Ricciardelli as our next superintendent and Tim Moshier and Jerry Rutherford dissenting.

The Board will discuss contract terms and start date at its next Regular School Board Meeting on May 9, which will then allow for the contract negotiation process to begin. Once the Board and Dr. Ricciardelli enter a contract, she will become the 20th superintendent in the 100-year history of CCPS. 

Dr. Ricciardelli grew up in Naples from the age of two and has worked in education for more than 28 years. Most recently, Dr. Ricciardelli served as CCPS Interim Superintendent and CCPS Deputy Superintendent, where she was responsible for leading Financial Services, School Leadership, and District Operations, including Transportation, Nutrition Services, Safety and Security, Facilities and Maintenance, and other key areas of the school district. Early in her career, Dr. Ricciardelli worked in three other Florida counties — Broward, Orange, and Seminole — where she served as a teacher for students with disabilities. Dr. Ricciardelli returned to Collier County and worked at Manatee Middle School as an inclusion teacher and Lely High School as an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Specialist and Dean of Students. Dr. Ricciardelli then worked at Palmetto Ridge High School for six years as Assistant Principal of Attendance and Discipline and returned to Lely High as Assistant Principal of Curriculum and Instruction. Dr. Ricciardelli was later chosen to be principal at Golden Gate Middle School and returned, once again, to Lely High to serve as principal prior to taking a position in district leadership. Dr. Ricciardelli earned her Bachelor’s (B.S.) Degree from Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida, and then pursued her Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Nova Southeastern University. 

Congratulations to CCPS Superintendent Dr. Leslie Ricciardelli!