Ten MCPS principals will be part of a national group of administrators to participate in the Supporting the Development of Leaders of Color Program (SDLOC), a dynamic leadership development program.

The MCPS Office of Human Resources and Development won a grant with The New Teacher Project (TNTP) to be part of SDLOC. In partnership with TNTP, Turnaround for Children and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the SDLOC program will build a transformative leadership community, working with a network of Black and Hispanic/Latinx principals to thrive, sustain and expand their impact to ensure academic and social-emotional success for all students.

The 10 will be part of a three-year national cohort beginning next month through May 2025. Leaders of Color identifies, trains and supports community-based Black and Brown civic leaders, empowering them with the tools and resources to advance educational equity and racial justice. Since 2018, 116 Black and Latino leaders have graduated from the program.

The MCPS principals in the cohort are:

• James Allrich, Argyle Middle School 
• Dr. Tiffany Awkard, Silver Creek Middle School
• Jamila Denney, Pine Crest Elementary School
• Dr. Joey Jones, Robert Frost Middle School
• Shawaan Robinson, Briggs Chaney Middle School
• Dr. Joe Rubens, Jr., John F. Kennedy High School
• Patrick Scott, Strawberry Knoll Elementary School
• Arthur Williams, Springbrook High School
• Erica Williams, Fields Road Elementary School
• Rosario (Paola) Velasquez, Jackson Road Elementary School

As a part of the latest cohort, the MCPS principals will: leverage strengths and address challenges with student academic and social-emotional success; set personal leadership and school improvement goals; participate in monthly meetings that will provide opportunities for collaboration, learning and community with other principals; and use data to develop a strategic plan and goals around student access to grade-level assignments, strong instruction, deep engagement and teachers with high expectations.