During his 12 year career as a principal at Blanding Elementary School and Three Falls Elementary school in Southern Utah, he served as the President of the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals and as the state representative for Utah for the National Association of Elementary School Principals. He received his B.A. from Brigham Young University and his M.Ed. from Utah State University. Dr. Pellegrini returned to Cedar City where he accepted a tenured position at Southern Utah University. In addition to teaching, Dr. Pellegrini is a regular contributor to the Educational Testing Service’s School Leaders Licensure Assessment (SLLA) and the School Superintendent Assessment (SSA). He collaborates and presents annually at the Utah Rural Schools Conference. He was awarded the 2005 Utah State System of Higher Education's Technology Innovator of the Year award.