It’s a crazy occurrence to see life happening before your own two eyes. To see Worcester transform, a new city brought to life with the generations in the making. Opportunities will arise and history is changed; some things or people stay the same.

Superintendent Brian Allen took the position of Worcester Public Schools Superintendent in July, 2025. A native of Worcester and what it entails, he is an example of Worcester’s excellence. Allen’s education consisted of Quinsigamond Elementary School, Sullivan Middle School, and then South High Community School in his earlier childhood years. While a student might wonder how being a Worcester teen was back then, he reports, “I loved it….I played baseball at South.”

A typical day for him at South was started off by riding the bus to get to school. If baseball season was in he would stay after class, a third baseman on the team. Playing baseball for him started in Little League throughout Babe Ruth. When baseball season wasn’t in he would go to games at Foley Stadium. A fun loving person even in the early years, governance activities were another hit of his. He shares, “I was on the student council. I was the student rep [representative] to the school committee in my junior year. I was attending school committee meetings back when I was 16 years old,” later joking, “Now I get to go all the time.”

Speaking on school lunch from his time in WPS, “I think that it’s actually way better now than it was when I was a kid.” A kid’s dream of school lunch, Allen never got the full meal at South. Instead, he ate Smartfood with a chocolate chip cookie every day. Different from the free accessible lunches we have now, he paid for his lunch. Allen further supports his previous claim saying, “we’ve become a little more nutritious and [there’s] more [of] a different variety of food options. And I know that they’re working to even further improve that.” As of date he’s tried the current empanadas, walking nachos, and the pizza (always a favorite by students).

Sharing his input on how student life was for him, grades were dealt with a lot differently at South High. Now his feelings are shifted more positively towards the new grading system and the way it gives opportunities for students to recover from mistakes. Something he–as well as many others–wish they had growing up.

Shifting towards the college aspect of his life, his hometown boy experience was never changing attending Clark University. Some time after receiving his undergraduate degree in Economics, he graduated from Suffolk University in Boston with a masters degree in Public Administration. His career hasn’t been a straight path in administration. “I was a budget analyst for the city at City Hall for 2 years. Then I went to Worcester Voke before they merged, Worcester Voke used to be a separate school system. And so I became their CFO”  continuing with, “[after that] I came over with Worcester Public Schools and I was the CFO for the last 25 years. 3 years as deputy superintendent, and now superintendent.”Although junior year of college Allen took a government class. Whereas he first thought he would end up on Wall Street, home to financial reserves, Allen’s path led him through with internships, evolving himself from there.

The journey to becoming superintendent has been long, but never an overreach. “Once the former superintendent announced she was going back to California we had conversations about whether I’d be interested to just see that work through… [vision to action] I oversaw the strategic plan of the school district and so they wanted us to finish that. There were 3 years left of that strategic plan.” Superintendent Allen had originally met with the school committee members at the start to see if he was interested. And as you might have already guessed, after a couple of weeks (a month or so) the committee as well as Allen thought he was a good fit for the role. “I know all the schools, I know all the principals, I know a lot of the teachers. So walking into Worcester Superintendent is not foreign to me.”

Continuing to voice his opinion on the transition from one career to the next, Allen says, “Actually it’s not that hard because when you think about what the role of the Superintendent is, it’s really providing resources to schools.  We are here to support the schools.” And what is supporting the schools exactly? Well, “My job is to provide resources to your principal, so your principal can provide the resources to your teachers and it’s naturally aligned what I was doing as CFO. It’s really about just giving resources to the schools. It’s also about setting the strategic vision and direction of the school district.” Furthering the work under the previous superintendent, Vision to Action was and is currently still in “action.” A phrase on his iconic hoodie, this is the in depth strategy of six key priorities. Allen passionately adds, “we can make meaningful progress around equitable resources for all of our students to make sure all of our schools have a climate and culture that has a sensible belonging, a good solid foundation around health and wellness, work on improving facilities, and grow your own program, seeing our teachers to look like our students that is our goal.” His number one goal is the students. A sense of belonging as well as providing enough opportunities for them to use to succeed is Allen’s absolute end goal. Meeting people in the schools and seeing the action or simply students at work is what he is most passionate about. The new challenges being brought to life are what makes the little moments exciting.

Viewing the fondest memories so far in his career, the students are exactly that. “Students are amazing. They just bring so much energy, opinions, and intelligence to what we’re doing.” These individuals with strength in character have so much to offer. A mention by the Superintendent, he thinks students in Worcester have awesome choices in high school education. His dad attended what is now Worcester Technical High School, a trade school if he had chosen that path. Highlighting the Chapter 74 programs at Doherty, Burncoat would also be a high end option if Mr. Allen was into the arts. He adds, “I’m not artistic but if I was Burncoat would be an obvious choice. I went to the Mean Girls play and they were phenomenal.” Trying different instruments so far in his life, there’s never been one that has quite stuck with him yet sharing, “I wish I was musically inclined, I’m not.” If Allen was a student in 2026 he would narrow the schools down and, “have to pick South and then Doherty of course.” A hint of a bias in his answer, it’s no doubt that the Highlanders are a correct pick. Planning to replace Burncoat, Worcester East Middle, along with a few Elementary schools, his choices could possibly differ in a few years time.

Overall Superintendent Allen is filled with a sense of pride. Being a Worcester Public Schools student himself, “I think what I would say to students is the same thing I tell to my 2 high school kids that I work hard every day–Don’t give up the opportunities that are going to be presented to you. Whether it’s classes, technology, or programs.” Again with his opportunities platform, what truly interests you is what he wants a student to take full advantage of. You never know what opportunity might pass you by.

Between managing this new role as superintendent to varying work hours and night meetings, what Allen doesn’t let pass him by is the work/life balance. Putting his family first, his wife is a principal at Lincoln Street. He has three kids, an older son in college in Orlando, Florida, a daughter that’s a senior in high school, and a younger son that’s a sophomore in high school. A family guy to the core, he is….surprise…a middle child too!  His older sister lives in Houston and his younger brother still lives in Worcester. An annual pass holder for Disney World, he’s been there around 75 times with an ongoing 25 years. One person’s bucket list multiplied by a hundred, hobbies aren’t an irregular thing for Mr. Allen.

When the Patriots are on he watches the game, hosting parties at his house. With what we can imagine the emotions centered around that particular hobby right now after the Superbowl, the disappointment must be made up in other aspects of his life one way or another.

Allen plays in a Corn Hole League holding first place, 36-3 on the season so far out in Oxford. But he’s leaving golf in the past, “I used to golf a hundred times a year, now I golf maybe once.” Simply taking too much time, the skier side of him shines with a favorite mountain in Maine, the Sunny River. Other then the fun adventures, you can find him reading or cooking a delicious meal. Italian and Chinese food are two favorites of his, cooking homemade pasta and meatballs as well. Inheriting multiple recipes from his wife’s grandmother, the superintendent turns out to actually be a chef? And as luck would have it, it turns out he also is a teacher since 2001. Teaching a finance class at Worcester State for WPS teachers who want to become administrators, Allen estimates about 2/3 of our principals have taken that class. What a turn out. Who knew?

There is so much we can learn from those around us. This interview is an example that Superintendent Brian Allen is a person just like us, just with a larger official role. Dreaming of playing for the Celtics or Red Soxs when he was younger, his basketball club dreams potentially could have been fulfilled. And why is that exactly? Exactly his words, because the opportunities students can seize. Opportunities are everywhere, a person isn’t just a particle in the air. Allen took advantage of the possibilities given to him, and now he is our Superintendent to date. He went from Worcester Student to Superintendent. What opportunities will you seize today?