Press Release: Dr. Charlene Dukes Re-Elected State Board President

Dr. Mary Kay Finan Re-Elected Vice President

For Immediate Release                                          Contact: John L.White, 410-767-0439

Baltimore, MD (July 24, 2014)

The Maryland State Board of Education announced today that it unanimously re-elected Dr. Charlene Dukes as its president and Dr. Mary Kay Finan as vice president earlier this week at its monthly meeting.

Dr. Dukes has served as State Board President for the past two years, having earlier served three years as vice president.  She is president of Prince George’s Community College and has had 30 years of progressive leadership experience and administrative responsibility in higher education.  She has represented the State Board on the Governor’s P-20 Council, and previously served on the Task Force to Study How to Improve Financial Literacy. 

From 2002-2006, she served on the Prince George’s County Appointed Board of Education, and chaired the Student Support, Student Appeals, and Personnel Committees.  Dr. Dukes holds membership in a variety of professional organizations, including the American Association of Community Colleges, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the American Council on Education, the Presidents’ Round Table, and the National Council on Black American Affairs.  Locally, Dr. Dukes is a member of the Prince George’s County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Prince George’s County Business Roundtable, the Workforce Services Corporation, and the Harlem Renaissance Foundation.  Dr. Dukes has a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s and doctorate in Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Finan is a Professor Emeritus of Frostburg State University where she was on the Education faculty from 1991 - 2010.  She was the Coordinator of the Elementary and Early Childhood programs and taught the Elementary Science Curriculum, Methods, and Assessment course and the Leadership Seminar. 

Dr. Finan taught elementary school for 13 years in Allegany County before joining the faculty at Frostburg.  She received her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Loyola College, a master's degree in Reading from Frostburg State University, and earned a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Maryland.

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