LA PLATA, Md. (January 25, 2012) -- The Board of Education of Charles County re-elected Roberta Wise as chairman and Maura Cook as vice chairman at its Jan. 10 meeting. The Board elects a chairman and vice chairman each January. Officers serve one-year terms.

Board members unanimously re-elected Wise to the chairmanship position that she has held for the past two years. In accepting the nomination, Wise said she would continue to keep the Board focused and united as the group works through the challenges of the coming year. “We will need to continue to strive for improvements in operations and most importantly, student achievement. Additionally, redistricting, construction of St. Charles High School and preparation for the selection of our next Superintendent are all issues that will require our focused attention,” Wise said.

A second-term Board member, Wise also served as vice chairman of the Board for three years after first being elected in 2006. Wise thanked the Board members for their continuing support and trust in her as chairman. She is a retired Charles County Public Schools teacher with 34 years of experience. A former Charles County Public Schools Teacher of the Year, she also received the Washington Post Agnes Meyer award for outstanding teachers in 1991. For most of her career, she served as a mathematics teacher at Henry E. Lackey High School. She was a coordinator of the Educational Partnership Team and a math resource teacher before retiring in 1999.

The Board also unanimously re-elected Cook to a second term as vice chairman. In accepting the nomination for the position, Cook said she has a strong work ethic, remains calm in the face of conflict and continues to be an advocate for high academic standards and instructional rigor for all students.

Cook is a nurse and a former award-winning Destination Imagination coach, parent-teacher association officer and parent volunteer. She is a co-founder of the Women’s Exercise Research Center of the George Washington University and a past presenter at the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual conference. Cook works as a registered nurse local care coordinator. She works with primary care physicians, assisting with care coordination, education and health promotion. She is active with the Maryland Association of Boards of Education. Mrs. Cook has a bachelor’s degree in science and nursing from St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, and a Master’s degree in education and human development from George Washington University.

Source: Charles County Public School System