The Greater Amsterdam School District announces the appointment of Nicole Holehan as the new Principal of R.J. McNulty Academy and Jessica Valente as the new Assistant Principal.

Holehan has been an educational administrator and teacher in the Saratoga County area for 16 years.

She will officially begin in the district on Aug. 3. She replaces former McNulty Principal Eric Romano who resigned in June to become the principal at Fonda-Fultonville Elementary School.

“I am honored to become a part of the Amsterdam family and community,” Holehan said. “Our district is a unique and special place. I am looking forward to learning more about the history, culture, and programs at McNulty Elementary School.”

“Change can be unsettling,” she added, “and I want to assure everyone that amidst this change in leadership, I am committed to McNulty Elementary School in the long-term and committed to continuing the great work that is currently being done for our students. I look forward to the important work of learning, teaching, and community building that lies ahead.”

Holehan comes to GASD from Ballston Spa Central Schools where she has been an administrator since 2015. For the last three-plus years she has served as Ballston Spa’s K-12 Coordinator of Instructional Technology. Among her duties there she supervises and evaluates instructional staff and programs, collaborates with the District Technology Committee to develop the district’s long-term technology plan with an emphasis on digital equity for all students, plans and oversees professional development in technology, and oversees the district’s technology needs and budget.

Prior to that, Holehan was Assistant Principal at Ballston Spa High School from 2015-2017, and a health teacher in the Shenendehowa Central School District and Troy City School District from 2006-2015. She has also worked as an Adjunct Professor in the health field at Sage Graduate School.

She earned a Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, a master’s degree in Health Education from Sage Graduate School, a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Nova Southeastern University, and an associate’s degree in Individual Studies from Hudson Valley Community College.

Jessica Valente new McNulty Assistant Principal

Working with Holehan as the new Assistant Principal at R.J. McNulty Academy will be Jessica Valente. She was appointed to that position at the July Board of Education meeting and will officially start in the district on September 1.

Valente has been an educational administrator and teacher in the area for nearly 10 years, most recently with the Corinth Central School District. She has been Assistant Principal at Corinth Elementary School and Committee on Special Education (CSE) Chairperson for the district since 2019.

Prior to that she was an administrative intern, Instructional Technology coach and elementary school teacher in the Ballston Spa Central School District. She’s also taught elementary school in South Glens Falls and East Greenbush central schools.

She’s attended the Leadership Program at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, earned a master’s degree in Childhood Education from Sage Graduate School and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology/Criminal Justice from the State University at Albany.