Baltimore County school board elects former state education department official as chair
In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the Baltimore County Board of Education elected Tiara Booker-Dwyer, an Owings Mills education policy associate appointed to the body in April, as its chair.
Booker-Dwyer, who works as a senior policy associate at a Washington-based education policy firm, has served in several roles at the Maryland State Department of Education — most recently as the assistant state superintendent of college and career readiness.
Her firm, Policy Studies Associates, partners with the U.S. Department of Education-funded Region 4 Comprehensive Center, which offers no-cost services and products to support state and local education agencies in the mid-Atlantic.
Booker-Dwyer also served as the state education department’s ombudsman from 2016 to 2017, and served that agency as a career and technology education specialist before that. Holding a master’s in biology from the John’s Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree in the same field from Lincoln University, Booker-Dwyer’s work has been published in a neurobiology journal, though she later pivoted to focusing on education.
She was one of three new county school board members appointed by Gov. Wes Moore in April, with her current term lasting until 2026.
Board members also selected Christina Pumphrey, a Parkville resident who has served in several education advocacy roles within the county, as vice president. Pumphrey, who was elected last year to fill the District 6 seat on the school board, was most recently an area vice president for the PTA Council of Baltimore County.
Both Booker-Dwyer and Pumphrey will serve one-year terms in their newest roles. BCPS board members, including the chair and vice president, are compensated $7,500 per year.
Booker-Dwyer is replacing outgoing chair Jane Lichter, who was elected last year to represent District 2. Robin Harvey, the outgoing vice president, represents District 1 and was also first elected to the board last year.
