William Heiser, who began his term as superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) on July 1, announced the members of his transition team in an Aug. 6 press release.
The 36-member team, which includes business and community partners, educators and staff with experience in K-12 and higher education, and in private and public sectors, will be co-chaired by Rotunda Floyd-Cooper, vice president of education leadership at the Wallace Foundation, and Elizabeth Berquist, executive director of employee development for BCPS.
Officials say the transition team will meet from Aug. 20 through Oct. 30 and will assist Heiser in assessing the school system’s current state of academics, operations, and culture/climate. He has charged with developing short-term and long-term recommendations related to academic excellence, operational readiness and financial sustainability, talent identification, and community engagement, and issuing a report on their findings and strategic recommendations to shared with the BCPS community in November.
Transition team members include:
- Elizabeth Becker, director, facilities operations and logistics, BCPS
- Allison Benkovic, 2026-2027 BCPS Teacher of the Year and teacher, Chadwick Elementary School
- Joelle Bielski, director, staff relations, BCPS
- Cris Blasetti, president, Baltimore County Public Schools Organization of Professional Employees
- Gail Cunningham, former chief medical officer, University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center
- Marietta English, chair, Education Committee, NAACP Baltimore County
- Bryan Epps, president, AFSMCE Local 434, BCPS
- Nancy Grasmick, Towson University Presidential Scholar and former Maryland State Superintendent of Schools
- Douglas Handy, director, workforce development and culture, BCPS
- Elisabeth Jarrett, BCPS parent and chair, advocacy and legislation, PTA Council of Baltimore County
- Michael Jones, principal, Randallstown High School, BCPS
- Jim Jones, president, American Design Associates
- Melanie Kearns, principal, General John Stricker Middle School, BCPS
- Eric Knox, executive director, school safety and security, BCPS
- Matthew Lang, interim vice president, enrollment and outreach initiatives, Community College of Baltimore County
- Sean McComb, principal, Lutherville Laboratory Elementary School, BCPS
- Samuel Mustipher, executive director, school support and improvement, BCPS
- Allison Myers, executive director, Special Education, BCPS
- Kelly Ngyuen, director, budget and reporting, BCPS
- Kelly Olds, president, Teachers Association of Baltimore County, BCPS
- Gboyinde Onijala, executive director, Communications and Community Outreach, BCPS
- Michael Parker, director, Council of Administrative and Supervisory Employees, BCPS
- Sandra Reid, retired administrator and principal consultant, BCPS
- Larry Rowland, manager, enterprise resource planning, BCPS
- Ella Sohn, president, Baltimore County Student Council and BCPS student, Eastern Technical High School
- Dr. John Staley, executive director, science, technology, engineering, and math, BCPS
- Susan Stansbury, director, staffing, BCPS
- TBD, chief of staff, BCPS
- Shawrn Watson, 2025-2026 BCPS School Counselor of the Year and counselor, Dundalk Middle School
- Dominique Watts, 2026-2027 BCPS Rising Star Teacher of the Year and special education teacher, Sparrows Point Middle School
- James Wheeler, president, First Financial Federal Credit Union
- Alicia Wilson, vice president, civic engagement and opportunity, Johns Hopkins University
- Heather Wooldridge, director, education foundation and grants, BCPS
- Jeanette Young, president, Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County, BCPS
Heiser said the team’s work will be vital to identifying key strategies and resources for the school system. “These individuals all share a deep commitment to public education and boosting student achievement, and I look forward to listening, learning, and engaging in critical conversations about the strengths of our system and the urgent work ahead.”