MSD introduces superintendent finalists to community

Dec. 14—Maryland School for the Deaf will interview and conduct forums this week with two finalists vying to be its next superintendent.

The school's Board of Trustees announced its top two candidates for the role last month.

One is Taiyabah Naeem, the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.

The other is John Serrano, the executive director of undergraduate admissions at Gallaudet University, a private university for Deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington, D.C.

On Tuesday, the candidates began a three-day process of visiting MSD's campuses, meeting with community members and interviewing with board members.

MSD provides free public education to deaf and hard of hearing children from birth until age 21. The school operates on two campuses — one in Columbia and one in Frederick.

The high school campus is in Frederick. Most students who begin their education at Columbia's campus eventually transfer to Frederick.

The search for the school's next superintendent was originally initiated in September 2020, after former Superintendent James Tucker, who had held the job since 1992, announced his early retirement.

Tucker's departure came in the wake of pressure from parents and alumni, who had accused him of fostering a racist and elitist environment at the school and called for his ouster.

In May 2021 — after a monthslong search that included candidate interviews, focus groups and community surveys — MSD announced it was suspending the search because all three finalists had withdrawn.

The school relaunched the search in September and said it would operate under an "expedited timeline," aiming to make a hire by the end of this year or early next year.

It announced the members of its search committee — which includes parents, administrators and employees from both campuses — in October.

This week, each candidate was scheduled to attend a forum with community members, immediately followed by a meet and greet, according to the search committee. Naeem and Serrano will each tour both MSD campuses.

Below is the full description of each candidate given by the MSD search committee.

Taiyabah Naeem has worked for several years as a teacher, project manager, researcher, and education leader.

She has a wealth of experience developing policies for school organizations and several research publications. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, to Pakistani Punjabi immigrant parents, Taiyabah worked as the Lead Science Teacher at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf.

Later, she worked as a project manager at the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center.

Taiyabah currently works as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, supporting educators, staff, and deaf and hard of hearing students from all races, ethnicities, and language backgrounds.

Taiyabah volunteers at Cascadia Deaf Nation, where she shares her expertise and knowledge on the systematic health inequities and their impact on Deaf, Black Indigenous, and People of Color communities.

Taiyabah holds two bachelor's degrees in biology and chemistry with a minor in Psychology, University Honors from Gallaudet University, a Master of Science degree in Deaf Education from McDaniel College, and a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University.

Her career is founded on the pedagogies of equitable leadership, inclusiveness, and student and family-centered learning.

John A. Serrano is currently the Executive Director of Undergraduate Admissions at Gallaudet University.

Prior to his current position at Gallaudet University, he served as the school-level superintendent of Atlanta Area School for the Deaf (AASD), a day school serving over 150 Deaf/DHH students in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, he worked at the Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) for thirteen years.

At TSD, he began his career as an elementary teacher before transitioning to administrative leadership roles such as the High School Principal for four years and the Director of Academic Affairs for five years.

A New England native, he graduated from American School for the Deaf (ASD) and attended Gallaudet University, majoring in Elementary Education and Deaf Education.

He currently serves as a governing board member for both the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf (CEASD) and the American School for the Deaf.

Serrano resides in Maryland with his wife, Melly, and three children, Natalia (14), AJ (13) and Matthew (6).

Follow Jillian Atelsek on Twitter: @jillian_atelsek