Victor Capellán

Victor Capellan is an American Educator and Politician. Currently, he is the Chief Academic Officer/Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction of the Fall River Public Schools, and live in Providence, Rhode Island.

Educator Career

Working for the Fall River Public Schools1, Victor has been instrumental in designing the teaching and learning sections of the Fall River Public School Recovery Plan presented to the Department Of Elementary and Secondary Education. He has also been instrumental in the revamp of the district’s English Language Learners programs and in instituting other measures to improve student achievement.

Prior to arriving in Fall River, he worked for the New York City Department of Education. He started there in November 2002 where he was part of Chancellor Joel Klein’s reform efforts in the capacity of Associate Director of the Office of New Schools. He was part of the team that opened 60 new small schools in New York City in 2003. He later became Principal of EBC High School for Public Service in Brooklyn New York. EBC is a school of 600 students and 80 staff members. During his four years as principal, the school was recognized by the Department of Education by being chosen as one of two high schools to represent New York City in a national competition. New York City won the competition as was named as the top urban school district in the country by the Broad Foundation.

His career as an educator began at the University of Rhode Island where he taught in the Human Development and Family Studies program and served as Coordinator of Student Leadership Programs. In 1997 he became the Executive Director of the Center for Hispanic Policy and Advocacy (CHISPA). This center also ran an alternative school – the Bridge School, where Victor taught Social Studies and Government for two years to students at risk of dropping out. His passion was always to see young people succeed and in the 1999 he joined the Providence School Department as Facilitator of the Parent Information and Student Registration Center and was a part of Superintendent Diana Lam’s advisory cabinet.

Political Career

In the 1996 Capellan was a candidate for the General Assembly of Rhode Island and he lost his bid by 13 votes. As a result of his campaign the number of Latino and young voters in Providence grew. Capellan and his team tried once more in 1998, but once he lost, this time by 20 votes. Although he lost his bid to be an elected official his commitment to the community was not lost and he continued working in various political projects including the team that brought the current State Senator of Rhode Island Juan Pichardo to victory.

Community Service

Capellan is founder, first president, and two-times National President of the Dominican American National Roundtable a not for profit organization with its headquarters in Washington, DC.2 During his tenure as president he created a Youth Fellowship program that brought young people from around the country to participate in an internship program in Washington, DC.

Capellan was President of Quisqueya In Action3 - a youth organization - from 1994 to 1996 when he decided to run for a political position to represent the Southside of Providence.

In his service to the community Capellan has been a part of the board of directors of RI Hospital, The Providence Public Library, Latino Dollars for Scholars, and he was named by the Governor of RI as the Chairman of the board of directors of Rhode Island Housing Mortgage and Finance Corporation4.

Early Life and Background

Victor Francisco Capellan was born in the city of Santiago, Dominican Republic on December 23 1970. Capellan left his native Dominican Republic with his younger brother Robert in 1983 to be with his mother Carmen in the United States, when was 12 years old. Capellan study and graduated of the Central High School and went on to the University of Rhode Island. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from University of Rhode Island in 1992, a Master’s in Human Development and Family Studies in 1996 and Masters in Education in 2002.5