Superintendent

Emilie Knisley is proud to serve as superintendent of the Barre Unified Union School District. A lifelong Vermont educator, she began as a teacher in 2004 and has since been a teacher, principal and superintendent.

Emilie grew up in Utah, Australia and Rhode Island before settling in Vermont as a teenager. She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and English from Vermont State University, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership and Administration from Plymouth State University, and a Certificate in Advanced Educational Leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. 

A two-time Fulbright recipient, Emilie represented the United States as a Japanese Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher in 2007. In 2024 she was selected for the Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools Program, which took her to Finland to study how schools connect students with their communities, post-secondary opportunities and work-based learning. She teaches school law to aspiring administrators at Vermont State University and has long championed rural education through her work with organizations such as the Vermont Rural Education Collaborative.