Christopher Barclay Selected as Board of Education President

December 7, 2010

Christopher S. Barclay was unanimously selected by his colleagues today (Dec. 7) as president of the Board of Education and Shirley Brandman was unanimously selected as vice president. Both officers will serve a one year term.

“As a Montgomery County parent and citizen, I am honored and privileged to serve as president of the board,” said Mr. Barclay, a member of the Board since 2006 and the vice president for the past year.

“This will be a very important year for the Board, as we select a new superintendent and continue to navigate through these difficult economic times,” he said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to serve the outstanding students and staff of Montgomery County Public Schools.”

Mr. Barclay was elected to his first four-year term on November 4, 2008, after being appointed to the Board on December 9, 2006 to complete an unexpired term. Over the past year, he has served as chair of the Board’s Fiscal Management Committee and a member of the Policy Committee.

He has served in a number of volunteer leadership roles with the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA), including Montgomery Blair cluster coordinator and MCCPTA Nominating Committee chair. He also served on the NAACP Parents’ Council and was active in the development of the Downcounty Consortium as a member of the Downcounty Consortium Base Area Study Committee. A resident of Takoma Park, Mr. Barclay has also been active in the Takoma Foundation Board of Directors and the Takoma Park Department of Recreation Advisory Committee.

In 2010, Mr. Barclay was appointed by Gov. Martin O’Malley to the Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness.

Mr. Barclay has worked in the telecommunications industry since 1993 and is a 1984 graduate of Columbia College of Chicago. He and his wife have three children, two who currently attend MCPS and one who has graduated.

Shirley Brandman was elected to her second four-year term on the Board of Education in November 2010. She previously served as President of the Board (2008-2009) and Vice President (2006-2008). Over the past year, she has served as the chair of the Board’s Policy and Special Populations committees, as well as a member of the Communications & Public Engagement Committee. Ms. Brandman was appointed by Gov. O'Malley to serve on the statewide Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE).

Ms. Brandman began her career as an attorney representing children in abuse and neglect cases and then went on to earn a Master's Degree in Special Education/Learning Disabilities. She is a graduate of Yale College and Yale Law School. Ms. Brandman is the parent of a current MCPS 9th grader and an MCPS graduate.

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