Meredith Bickham Costa

Born on February 1, 1943, Meredith Bickham Costa is the daughter of Vertie Lorraine Royster Bickham and Winton Bickham.

 

Meredith, a native of Rhode Island, graduated from Hope High School in 1961.  She received a bachelor’s degree in education with a concentration in biology in 1965.  She earned a master’s degree in Elementary Administration from Rhode Island College in 1972.

 

Meredith became the principal of E.W.Flynn Elementary School in 1972, making her the first African- American female to serve as a principal in the state of Rhode Island.

 

Meredith was mentored by Jarvis Jones, the first African American male principal/administrator in Rhode Island.  Mr. Jones was also a prominent mathematics and science educator.

 

For more than forty years, Meredith positively influenced the lives of her students and always stressed the importance of education.  Meredith believes that we as a community have a responsibility to make sure everyone has access to quality education and the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential.  She has spent a lifetime mentoring students, teachers and other adults in the community. Her motto has been from the words of the Old Negro Spiritual 

“If I can help somebody as I travel along then my living shall not be in vain.”

 

During her long career as an educator, she served as both a teacher and a principal at E.W. Flynn Elementary School.  She also taught at Dr Martin Luther King Elementary School and John Howland Elementary School.

 

Meredith was the principal at Gilbert Stuart Elementary School from 1987-1995.

 

After retiring from the Providence School System in 1995, Meredith still had a passion for teaching and thus served as Director of General Studies at Alperin Schechter Jewish Day School in Providence from 1998-1999.  She also became Adjunct Faculty at Providence College where she supervised student teachers.

 

Meredith has served on numerous community boards such as the RI Health Department Licensure & Discipline of Doctors, West End Board of Directors, RI Adult Correctional Institution Women’s Mentoring Program, Providence Head Start program, RI State Parole Board Sex Offenders Unit, Congdon St Baptist Church Trustee Board and numerous others.

 

Meredith is a member of Congdon St. Baptist Church, a lifetime member of the NAACP, The Urban League, The RI Black Heritage Society and a Charter member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

 

Meredith is a true champion of education for all and as such, she has been recognized with numerous awards in recognition of her leadership, dedication and commitment towards education advancement in her community.  Formal accolades have come from the following organizations: The RI Black Heritage Society, The Urban League, The Northeastern Federation of Women’s Clubs, The NAACP, Providence Head Start Program, East Side Housing Corporation, The Urban Education Center, The West End Foundation, The RI Black Catholic Ministry and the Ruth Correia Cultural and Educational Program and several others.

 

For nearly fifty-nine years, Meredith has been married to Joseph Costa, Director Emeritus of Student Support Services at Rhode Island College.  They have a daughter, Africa Bickham Costa who is a graduate of Lincoln School for Girls, Hampton University and Old Dominion University where she received her master’s degree.  Africa resides in Virginia with her husband, Bo Williams.