PAWTUCKET — As thunder and lightning heralded Judy Baxter’s cross-border passage from Florida into Georgia on Rte. 95 as she and her now-late husband were driving back to their native New England, her cellphone rang right at the state line.
On the other end of the call was Saint Raphael Academy Principal Daniel Richard, M.Ed., who had heard the veteran educator with a stellar reputation was moving back to the Ocean State. Her retirement from the Coventry Public School Department after 29 years of service, culminating as head of the English Department, had lasted barely six years on the Florida Space Coast, and even there, she continued to teach at a religious school because she enjoyed being in the classroom so much.
Despite the stormy weather, Richard’s pitch was sunny and smooth, like a tall glass of Florida orange juice. He offered Baxter the job of vice principal for academics, and she happily accepted.
Appointed to his position one year earlier, in 2012, Richard was seeking to elevate the academic profile of the diocesan college preparatory school.
With Baxter’s acceptance of the offer she joined the Saints community as a key member of the leadership team.
She and Richard would begin sitting down at early morning meetings together to develop a plan for each day.
“We’re very synergistic,” Richard said. “You could almost say sometimes we are like one mind. Judy knows me and I know Judy.”
Both Richard and Baxter also worked very well with Vice Principal Mitchell Carvalho, whose office is on the opposite end of the Pawtucket campus.
Throughout her career Baxter has worked closely with teachers through observation, coaching cycles and collaborative planning.
At Saint Raphael, Baxter has been deeply involved in mentoring new educators, playing a significant role in supporting student teachers and candidates in Providence College’s PACT (Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers) program.
On May 1, PACT named Baxter as the fifth recipient of the 2026 Brother Patrick Carey, cfc, Ph.D. Award in Catholic Education, in recognition of her dedicated service as a Catholic school mentor and administrator. PACT Director Chris Keavy will present the award at the program’s 26th Commissioning Program in July.
“The kids love her and respect her and that’s very important,” said Kerri Colavita, Baxter’s administrative assistant for the last eight of the vice principal’s nearly 14 years at Saint Raphael.
Baxter, who graduated from Plymouth State College and earned her master’s from Rhode Island College, began her career in her native Chelmsford, Massachusetts.
A mother of two, she served in Coventry for 29 years, retiring as head of the English Department.
Ten years ago, Baxter, a mother of two adult children (Eric and Stacie Baxter) and grandmother of four, lost her husband William to a stroke at the age of 69, soon after taking a pair of their grandchildren to hockey practice.
Former English Department Head Morgan Gallagher, who completed leadership training at Notre Dame and has been serving as an assistant vice president learning Baxter’s job this year , will be taking over for her mentor this fall.
But while Baxter is retiring from her full time position, she won’t be leaving Saint Raphael Academy anytime soon.
She will be returning in the fall two days each week to serve as an instructional coach for new teachers.
“Students like guidelines,” Baxter said. “They want to have expectations to meet, and they will live up to those expectations. Will they have slips and slides? Yes, they do, but overall, we have great kids. As Dan always says, they haven’t gotten their halo yet, but they’re on their way.”
