Our Team
Darren Doane
Founder/President & Educational Advisor
Darren E. Doane is the founder and president of the Massachusetts Principals Support Network and a recently retired school administrator. He served in the capacity of principal at the
Dartmouth Middle School from 2008 – 2023 and prior to that as an assistant principal from 2001 – 2007.
Along with being a school administrator, Mr. Doane has worked as an adjunct professor for UMASS Dartmouth and Providence College.He has served on a variety of state-wide committees such as Educational Policy, Legislative and the Principal’s Advisory Cabinet. Mr. Doane is also a trained state mentor for newly appointed principals. In addition, Mr. Doane has had significant training and experience relating to school law and was named Massachusetts Middle School Principal of the Year in 2013.
Mr. Doane earned his Bachelor's Degree from UMASS Dartmouth and Master's Degree from Providence College along with completing the National Institute for School Leadership Program.
Due to Mr. Doane’s extensive experience relating to a wide- range of school issues and a clear understanding of the support and direction that today’s school administrators need, he, along with a team of highly educated and experienced administrators, contractual advisors and attorneys, founded the above noted network to help provide administrators with the protection they deserve.
Matthew Burke
Legal Counsel/Attorney
Attorney Burke is an active member of various bar associations including the Fall Rover, New Bedford, and the Bristol County Bar Associations. He is also very active in the local community. In the past, he has served as a Board Member of the SJB Credit Union, a Commissioner of the Fall River Housing Authority, and was a City of Fall River Community Preservation Board Member.
Attorney Matthew F. Burke Jr. is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management. He continue to obtain a Juris Doctorate from the University of Massachusetts School of Law. He put himself through college and law school by working as a full-time firefighter for the City of Fall River. Attorney Burke served as an Assistant District Attorney for Bristol County from 1994-2000, where he prosecuted cases in the Juvenile, District, and Superior Courts.
In 2000, he started a solo practice and focused on real estate transactions and criminal law. He is a founding partner of Burke, Espinola, & Van Colen where he focuses his practice on real estate, criminal defense personal injury and civil litigation. During this time, he tried of 200 criminal and civil trials in the Massachusetts District and Superior courts. Currently, he also represents the City of Fall River as an Assistant Corporate Counsel.
Attorney Burke is a current member of the Board of Trustees for the Atlantis Financial Foundations, President of the Atlantis Charter School Board of Trustees, and a Board member for the Greater Fall River Development Corporation. Attorney Burke sponsors many local youth sports teams including the Acushnet Youth Athletic Association, Whaling City Baseball, Maplewood Little League, Swansea Girls Softball League, American Little League, and the Milliken/Silva Youth Baseball League.
Chris Markey
Legal Counsel/Attorney
Christopher Markey is an attorney in New Bedford, who has been practicing law for twenty-nine years. In his practice, Chris handles criminal and civil litigation in all courts in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, administrative law, real estate, and corporate law.
Chris graduated from Stonehill College in 1990 with a degree in Economics, then continued his education at University of Massachusetts School of Law in 1994, cum laude.
Chris served for 16 years in the Bristol County District Attorney's Office. For 12 years, Chris served a Assistant District Attorney. He was also a faculty member of the National District Attorney Association at the National Advocacy Center, and a faculty member for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Massachusetts Bar Association, the Massachusetts District Attorney's Association, and the University of Massachusetts School of Law.
Chris has volunteered as a coach in the Dartmouth Youth Soccer Association, Dartmouth Girl's Athletic League, Dartmouth Youth Lacrosse Association, and St. Vincent DePaul Society. He has also served as the Vice-Chairman of the Dartmouth Housing Authority Board of Directors, a Trustee of the New Bedford Industrial Foundation, a board member of the Community Preservation Committee for the town of Dartmouth, and on the Executive Council of the New Bedford Bar Association.
Mike Rubin
Director of Communications
Now in his ninth year as Principal of Uxbridge High School, Michael Rubin has successfully led Uxbridge High School’s designation as a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Innovation Pathway school, one of the first four schools in the state to earn this distinction.
He currently serves as a DESE Peer Ambassador for Innovation Pathways, is chair of the Blackstone Valley Ed Hub Board of Advisors, and is the Massachusetts State Coordinator for the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). UHS has also been recognized as a member of the National Consortium of Secondary STEM Schools and the CAPS Network, and UHS is the only comprehensive high school in Massachusetts to have earned Project Lead the Way program distinction for the past three years.
In addition, Mr. Rubin has presented on the state and national level regarding UHS’ commitment to authentic learning, building partnerships with local industry, leveraging student learning styles, and focusing on proficiency and skills-based competencies in traditional schools. In the past three years, more than 70 schools have visited UHS to learn from the school’s leaders, teachers, and students. He was named Massachusetts High School Principal of the Year in 2020.
Mr. Rubin earned his Bachelors Degree from Brown University, Masters Degree from Bridgewater State University, and his Doctoral Degree from the University of the Cumberlands.
James Kiely
Educational & Contractual Services
James Kiely is a dedicated educator who is the Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations at the Dartmouth Public Schools.
His experience includes 23 years in public education, as well as public accounting and as an university administrator.
James believes that providing high-quality support to school leaders is critical component of a successful school.
He has been the recipient of the Massachusetts Association of School Business Officials Distinguished Service Award.
James holds a Bachelor's in Accounting from Bryant University and an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.