Rochelle Baker

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Rochelle Baker, MSW, M.Ed., LCSW, serves as VGCS’s Founder and Executive Director and has been a dedicated leader in Rhode Island’s charter school community for more than 30 years. She and her family have called Rhode Island home for five generations. Leads with integrity, fairness, professionalism, and sound ethical judgment.   Maintains an understanding and responds to the broader political, social, economic, legal, and cultural factors that influence student outcomes. Encourages positive impact through growth, purpose, and service.

In 2013, Rochelle co-founded Village Green Charter School with Dr. Robert Pilkington and Dr. John Butler, serving as the school’s Chief of Operations and Director of Admission. She has remained a committed champion of personalized, equity-centered, and blended learning environments that honor student and family choice. In the 2021 2022 school year, the Governing Board appointed her Executive Director. In this role, she draws on nearly 30 years of charter school development and organizational leadership experience guided by a strengths-based, student-centered, and equity approaches.

She co-founded the Textron/Chamber of Commerce Academy (TCCA) with Dr. Pilkington. The school opened in 1994 and was later renamed the Academy for Career Exploration (ACE), a name it carried out from 1998 to 2013. She is recognized as the longest-serving high school leader among Rhode Island charter schools.

Rochelle holds, Master’s in Education (M. Ed) from Cambridge College, Master’s in Social Work (MSW) from Rhode Island College, License for Rhode Island Department of Health as Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Complete the Rhode Island Principal Residency Network, (PRN).  Her undergraduate degree is also from Rhode Island College, Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Associate of Arts (AA) from Community College of Rhode Island and several certificates and affiliations within Human Services and Non-Profit Agencies.

Rochelle has maintained various professional certificates and memberships which supported her leadership growth advancement and sustains various professional memberships: Frontline Education Evaluation Management, National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), RI Society of Technology Educators (RISTE), RI Association of School Principals  (RIASP).  Certified Restorative Justice Facilitator, Organizer of Kingian Non-Violence.  Founder of National Coalition of 100 Black Women, RI Chapter, Former Board President of Destiny House, Inc., Former Board member of Charette and Textron/Chamber of Commerce Academy Charter schools.