The City School District of Albany Board of Education has appointed veteran Arbor Hill Elementary School Principal Rosalind Gaines-Harrell as the district’s first director of recruitment, development and retention, a position critical to the district’s workforce development goals.
Gaines-Harrell has served the district for nearly 33 years in total and as Arbor Hill’s principal since 2007, leading the school from Priority Status to Good Standing in the state’s accountability system. For the past eight years, she also has provided professional development for assistant principals in the district, with a focus on continually growing the next generation of academic leaders.
“Over her long career in our school district, and especially at Arbor Hill, Roz has done this work on a smaller scale to develop greater continuity for students,” said Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter. “She understands our school district and our needs, and knows how to motivate and inspire. We believe she is an excellent leader to help us establish this new and vitally important role.”
Gaines-Harrell is known for her exceptional team-building skills, creating a safe and conducive environment where open communication thrives. Her ability to cultivate a secure space for sharing thoughts and ideas has been instrumental in promoting collaboration and growth among her colleagues and staff.
Those attributes will serve her well in the new position, a blend of proactive recruitment and retention strategies focused on equity and staff development, especially mentoring new employees in their formative years with the organization.
The district’s goals in creating this new position were highlighted in feedback from employees, families and community members in surveys the Board of Education conducted during the district’s last superintendent search in 2023, when the board ultimately appointed Hochreiter to lead the organization.
Priorities for Gaines-Harrell’s new role include building recruitment relationships with colleges and universities throughout the Northeast, and with local businesses and organizations that also are focused on recruiting top talent to the Capital Region. Equally important will be building relationships within the organization and the community to help new employees thrive professionally and personally.
“My career here has been such a wonderful journey,” Gaines-Harrell said. “To be in a position to develop others and watch them thrive. To expand my reach directly into the workforce, this is a culmination of my life’s work.”
Prior to her tenure as Arbor Hill’s principal, Gaines-Harrell served from 2003-07 as an assistant principal at Albany High School. She started her career as an elementary teacher at Arbor Hill in 1993, and also served as the school’s ATLAS coordinator before moving to the high school.
As Arbor Hill’s principal, Gaines-Harrell has been recognized for her distinguished leadership service, most recently as the Capital Area School Development Association’s 2020 Principal of the Year. She was also a recipient of the Community Partner Award from the University at Albany School of Education.
Gaines-Harrell holds a bachelor’s in education from the former College of St. Rose and a master’s in reading from the University at Albany. She earned her school district administration certification at St. Rose.
Gaines-Harrell will start in her new role March 2.