Weston graduate to lead METCO

Special to the Weston Observer

A 2004 Weston High School graduate has been tapped to lead the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO).

Kandice Sumner, a third-generation member of the METCO community, was unanimously selected to lead the organization by its board of directors.

A graduate of Weston’s METCO program, Sumner was the first Black female class president at Weston High School. Her multigenerational connection to METCO runs deep: her grandfather, Carnell Eaton, helped organize Project Exodus, the predecessor to METCO, and her mother was a METCO graduate from Lexington.

“Returning to METCO to lead the organization that set me and so many others on their path is deeply personal for me,” Sumner said in a press release. “I view this position not as a job but as a continuation of my life’s work to advance educational access and equity to close the achievement gap. To me, METCO is not just a program but a movement, a community, and a promise between those who have benefited from the organization and future generations to come.”

Darnell Billings, chair of METCO’s board of directors, said Sumner can help the organization take its steps into the future.

“Dr. Sumner’s career has been defined by amplifying the voices of students and communities often left at the margins,” Billings said. “She was the Board’s unanimous choice because of her deep and diverse educational leadership experience as well as her ability to lead with warmth, joy, intention and deep purpose. Dr. Sumner’s passion, integrity and leadership promise to drive innovation across the organization while also staying grounded in our founding principles.”

Most recently, Dr. Sumner served as associate principal of Culturally Responsive Practice at New Heights Charter School of Brockton, where she led operational teams and advanced equity-driven, data-informed practices. She also supervised academic and cultural leadership teams, supporting staff across instruction, student support and school culture.

Since 2019, she has been a doctoral adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts Boston, creating and facilitating the Critical Studies in Urban Schools curriculum for doctoral students. She was also a co-founder and co-executive director of the nonprofit Educators for Antiracism, overseeing annual virtual conferences attended by thousands of educators worldwide. Sumner has a firmly rooted background in teaching, having also worked in administrative and teaching roles at Charlestown High School, Newton South High School, Fenway High School and TechBoston Academy. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Spelman College with departmental honors.

Dr. Sumner was unanimously confirmed as the next president and CEO after a highly competitive national search led by DSG Global Koya Partners and grounded in METCO’s mission and values. The process was informed by input from more than 150 stakeholders including parents, students, alumni, METCO staff, district partners, and community leaders, and guided by a diverse Search Committee representing the full breadth of the METCO community.