GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION

GOVERNOR MARTIN O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS TO LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION; STUDENT MEMBER OF STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Governor Re-appoints Donna Hill Staton and Charlene M. Dukes, Ed.D to State Board of Education; Re-appoints H. Victoria Goldsborough to Caroline County Board of Education

ANNAPOLIS, MD - Governor Martin O’Malley today announced appointments to local Boards of Education including the Boards of Education for Anne Arundel, Baltimore, and Wicomico Counties. In addition, Governor O’Malley announced the re-appointment of H. Victoria Goldsborough to the Caroline County Board of Education. Governor Martin O’Malley also announced the reappointment of Donna Hill Staton and Charlene M. Dukes, Ed.D and the appointment of student member, Gayon Sampson, to the Maryland State Board of Education.
“I am proud to announce the appointments to the local boards of education and the State Board of Education. Each appointee brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise that will serve as an asset to the Boards they will serve on, and continue the progress we have made in building the No. 1 ranked school system in America,” said Governor O’Malley. “We have worked hard to compile a list of individuals from across our State with diverse educational, career, geographic, gender and ethnic backgrounds to continue to help protect Maryland’s priorities.”
Background information on each of the appointees is below:
Anne Arundel County Board of Education

Solon K. Webb – Mr. Webb is being appointed to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Mr. Webb is a Management Consultant for Spearhead Electronic Devices and has over twenty years of experience in the Life and Health Insurance industry including Chief Operating Officer, President and Board Member of Blue Cross Blue Shield Affiliates, Monumental General and AIG/Medical Excess Insurance Companies. Mr. Webb is the founding member of the Parent Involvement Advisory Council for Anne Arundel County, a member of the Annapolis High School PTSA, and a member of the Annapolis High School Improvement Team, and the Annapolis High School Business Advisory Board, among other Anne Arundel County School groups. He has served as a substitute teacher at Bates Middle School and is the parent of two sons who graduated from Annapolis High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from the University of Maryland, University College.

Deborah T. Ritchie – Ms. Ritchie is being appointed to the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Ms. Ritchie is a Registered Nurse at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center where she has worked since 1985. Prior to that, she worked as a Nursing Assistant at Fair Field Nursing Center for nine years. She is currently the President of the Wye Oak Parent Teacher Association. From 2000 to 2006, she served on the Anne Arundel County Council of PTA’s as an Area Representative to Vice President and finally to President. From 2005 to 2006 she was the Parent Involvement Chair for the Maryland PTA, and from 2006 to 2007, she was the President-Elect. She served as President of the Maryland PTA from 2007 to 2009. Ms. Ritchie also has also served on several councils for the Maryland State Board of Education, including the Maryland Instructional Technology Advisory Council, the Commission on Civil Literacy, the K-12 Assessments Advisory Council, the Title 1/Headstart Advisory Council, and the English Language Learners Advisory Council, among others. She also worked with the State Department of Education and the Maryland State Education Association to develop and organize the Dropout Prevention Summit in 2008. Ms. Ritchie has also been highly involved in a number of committees and advisory boards for the PTA and Anne Arundel County Public Schools. She received her nursing degree from the Anne Arundel County Community College RN Program in 1987.

Katharine Scruggs (student member) – Ms. Scruggs has been appointed as the student member for the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Ms. Scruggs is currently a student at South River High School and is expected to graduate in 2011. She is a member of the South River High School Literacy Committee and currently serves as a Peer Mediator, Manager of the Cross Country Team, and Editor of the Literary Magazine. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and Youth Rise. Ms. Scruggs also volunteers at her church and has donated locks of hair for cancer patients. She has been on the honor roll since 2004.

Baltimore County Board of Education

Michael H. Bowler – Mr. Bowler is being appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Education. Mr. Bowler has over 44 years of experience as a communications director, reporter, editorial writer, columnist, freelance writer and teacher. He recently was the Director of Communications for the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education where he served for three years. Prior to that, he served as the Education Editor and Columnist for the Baltimore Sun. He served in various roles and beats as a writer, columnist and editor for the Sun from 1970 until 2004. He began his journalism career as a Copy Editor for The Reporter Dispatch of White Plains, NY as a reporter and Copy Editor in 1965. He taught English and Social Studies from 1963 to 1964 in Oceanside, NY and has taught a number of journalism related courses in colleges across Maryland. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English from Columbia College in 1963 and received his Master’s in Journalism from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism in 1965.

George J. Moniodis – Mr. Moniodis is being appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Education. Mr. Moniodis is currently a Commercial Sales Associate for Coldwell Banker in Catonsville and has over 44 years of public affairs management experience, 35 of which were as Public Relations Director and Director of Government Affairs for St. Agnes Healthcare, the fourth largest hospital in the Baltimore area. Prior to his role at St. Agnes, he served as a Public Relations Consultant and a Public Information Specialist for the U.S. Army. Mr. Moniodis also worked at Bethlehem Steel as a Management Development Assistant and also served as a lecturer in Public Relations/Marketing for the University of Baltimore. He is a lifetime member of the American Hospital Public Relations and Marketing Society and is the Co-Founder and Member of the Maryland Hospital Public Relations Society. He is also a member of the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce, the Baltimore Public Relations Council, the Greektown Community Development Corporation and the Consolidated Insurance Corporation. Mr. Moniodis is also the Director and President of Buddies, Inc. with the Baltimore Police Department Youth Organization. He received his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management from the University of Baltimore in 1960. He received a certificate in Journalism, Radio & TV from the U.S. Army Public Information School in 1960.

Rohan Goswami (student member) – Mr. Goswami is being appointed as the student member to the Baltimore County Board of Education. As a senior at Loch Raven High School, he serves as Class President and President of the Debate Team and is a member of the National Honor Society and plays on the Badminton Team. He also volunteers at the Franklin Square Ambulatory Surgery Center and the Franklin Square Hospital Emergency Department. He also teaches Hindi to children and helps the soup kitchen at the Greater Baltimore Temple.

Wicomico County Board of Education

Marvin L. J. Blye – Mr. Blye is being appointed to the Wicomico County Board of Education. Mr. Blye has over 22 years experience in the accounting industry and recently began teaching Accounting courses at Wor-Wic Community College. He is a member of the Rotary International, Salisbury Club where he serves as the Foundation Chair, a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., a member of the National Association for Black Accountants, and a member of the Wicomico County Debt Affordability Committee Advisory Board. He received his Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore in 1988, and received his Masters of Business Administration from Wilmington College in 1993. He is currently taking coursework at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore to receive his doctorate in Organizational Leadership.

State Board of Education

Gayon Sampson (student member) – Mr. Sampson is being appointed as a student member for the Maryland State Board of Education. Gayon is currently a junior at Tuscarora High School in Frederick. He currently serves on a number of boards and organizations, including Executive Vice President of the Frederick County Association of Student Councils, Secretary of the Student Government Association, Class President, a member of the Multicultural Committee, the Model United Nations, the Mock Trial Team, Vice President of the BCWB Junior Board and President of the Youth Advisory Committee, among others. In 2007 and 2008, he worked as an office assistant for the Frederick County Department of Social Services, and in 2009, he worked as a Junior Safety Specialist at the U.S. Army Medical Command Installation at Ft. Detrick. He is the recipient of several awards including the Titan Character Award in 2009, the Black Frederick Rising Star Award in 2009, the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award in 2009, among many others. He is a resident of Frederick County.