Ralph Neil Spezio

In 1970, Ralph Spezio began his career in the Rochester City School District as teacher, curriculum specialist, vice principal and principal of School 17 where he received national,  state and local recognition for innovative community partnerships. Recognized as an Entrepreneurial Leader in a Warner School Kaufmann Foundation study, Dr. Spezio was also a founding member of the Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning which received the EPA’s Environmental Justice Achievement Award.  Upon his retirement from the Rochester City School District in 2002, after leaving Enrico Fermi School No.17 as a State Community School Model, Dr. Spezio completed an 8 year faculty appointment with the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. After 11 years in retirement as school principal, the superintendent of the RCSD asked Dr. Spezio in 2013 to again take the Principalship of School 17 to help lift it out of State Priority School status. That assignment will end this year (2015) as another principal is working alongside of Dr. Spezio to ensure sustainability for the school. Dr. Spezio speaks nationally on education and childhood lead poisoning issues and is very active in the City of Rochester’s JOSANA Community.