Trinity Remembers Paul Kelleher

Paul William Kelleher, Ed.D., Norine R. Murchison Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education, died on Dec. 24, 2025. He was 82. 

Born and raised in Worcester, Massachusetts, Kelleher received a scholarship to Harvard College, where he was awarded a bachelor’s degree in English cum laude and also a Master of Arts in Teaching in English. He subsequently earned a Doctorate in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. 

Kelleher’s educational leadership career began with serving as principal of Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale, New York, and as a school superintendent in Bedford, New York; Westport, Connecticut; and Lawrence, New York. During his superintendency in Westport, Kelleher was a recipient of the prestigious Golden Shield Award from the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents for courage in the field of education. 

Following these positions, Kelleher joined Trinity University, where he served as the Norine R. Murchison Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Education from 2001 to 2011. Throughout his tenure, Kelleher served as the director for the Center for Educational Leadership, during which he also supported and sustained the Trinity Principals' Center. With funding from three National Science Foundation grants (one in 2003 and two in 2009) in collaboration with STEM faculty at Trinity, Kelleher helped enact the Robert Noyce Scholarships and the Noyce Teaching Fellows programs. These programs supported university students in STEM to become teachers, career-changing candidates to participate in Trinity’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, and partnerships with San Antonio Independent School District for STEM teachers’ professional development. As department chair, Kelleher and his colleagues established three new education courses at Trinity in Fall 2009: “Service Learning in Education,” “Seminar on Urban Education—Policy and Practice,” and “Teaching Science.” 

As professor emeritus, Kelleher continued to work as a consultant in this field. He authored several books, articles, and grants on educational leadership, resiliency, and implementing high standards and expectations.

Kelleher was predeceased by his parents and by his two brothers. He is survived by his wife of forty years, Peggy; their son; his three children; his five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.