Darien Assistant Superintendent Of Curriculum To Leave District

DARIEN, CT — Dr. Christopher Tranberg, the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction K-12 for Darien Public Schools, will leave the district and become the new superintendent of schools in Branford.

Branford Public Schools and their superintendent search committee officially announced their recommendation of Tranberg early Wednesday evening.

Tranberg will start in his new role July 1, and take over for Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez who announced his retirement last year.

Tranberg has been in Darien since 2020. Prior to coming to town, he held a variety of administrative positions in Connecticut school systems including assistant superintendent in Granby, principal of Avon High School, assistant principal of Simsbury High School and director of performing arts for Simsbury Public Schools.

He worked for several years as an elementary school music teacher in school systems in Connecticut, New Jersey and Ohio before pursuing his career as a public school administrator.

Tranberg has a Ph.D. in educational policy, research and administration from the university of Massachusetts Amherst. He has a master's degree from the University of Hartford, a bachelor's degree from Baldwin-Wallace University and is a graduate of the Sacred Heart Universities' Superintendent Certificate Program.

"Joining the Branford Public Schools as superintendent is the opportunity of a lifetime. I instantly felt welcomed by the Board. The District has a reputation for excellence paired with a clear desire and passion to accomplish great things for students; there is no combination better," Tranberg said in a news release. "I look forward to meeting students, staff, and families and working collaboratively with the community for many years to come."

Darien Superintendent of Schools Dr. Alan Addley sent an email to the community on Wednesday morning about Tranberg's departure.

"Dr. Tranberg’ s tenure in Darien began at the onset of the pandemic. During that time he played an important leadership role in supporting the various instructional models while assisting with the development of a strategic plan; advancing district efforts with diversity equity and inclusion; implementing systems for additional coherence with curriculum; and, supporting professional learning," Addley said. "We thank Dr. Tranberg for his service and significant contributions to the Darien Public Schools over the past three years and wish him well in his new executive leadership position."

The Branford Board of Education said the search committee was impressed by Tranberg's "commitment to providing access to learning for all students and to building a professional learning culture that creates the best teachers and system leaders."

Branford Board of Education Chair Peter Berdon called Tranberg the "perfect candidate" to build on the success of Hernandez.

"Dr. Tranberg’s philosophy of continuous improvement and collaboration with all stakeholders works well with the tenants of our current strategic planning," Berdon said in a news release.