Dr. Judith Docca selected as vice president

Michael Durso was selected by his colleagues Tuesday (Dec. 8, 2015) to serve as president of the Montgomery County Board of Education for the next year. Dr. Judith Docca also was selected as vice president. Mr. Durso replaces Patricia O’Neill, who has served as president for the past year.

“This is an important time in the history of Montgomery County Public Schools as we face rapid enrollment growth, adjust to new state standards, and plan for the future,” Mr. Durso said. “I am honored to be chosen by my peers to serve as president of the Board and I know that we will continue to work together to ensure that all of our students receive a world-class education that prepares them for success today and in the future.”

Mr. Durso was elected to his first four-year term in 2010 after being appointed to the Board in June 2009 to finish an unexpired term. He was elected to his second four-year term in November 2014. For the past year, Mr. Durso has served as vice president of the Board and chair of the Fiscal Management Committee.

A resident of Silver Spring, Mr. Durso is a retired educator, whose 44-year career included 13 years with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) as principal of Springbrook High School (1996 to 2009). He also served as the principal of Yorktown High School in Arlington, Virginia, and as principal of Woodrow Wilson High School and Lincoln Junior High School in Washington, D.C. He began his career as a social studies teacher.

Mr. Durso was appointed in 2013 to serve on the Maryland Center for School Safety Governing Board and currently serves as an adjunct professor at McDaniel College. He is the recipient of various awards, including the Outstanding Principal Award which is sponsored nationally by Burger King and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (1987), Executive Educator of the Month Award by Executive Educator Magazine (1986), and Outstanding Volunteer Award by the Middle States Association (2009).

Mr. Durso received a degree in American history with a minor in education philosophy from The Catholic University of America and a master’s degree from American University in Educational Administration. He is married with four children who graduated from MCPS.

Dr. Docca, a resident of Montgomery Village, is serving her third term on the Board of Education. For the past year, she has served on the Board’s Committee on Special Populations and the Strategic Planning Committee.

Dr. Docca spent 38 years as a teacher and administrator with MCPS. She began her career as a Spanish and French teacher, and later served as a human relations coordinator, assistant principal at Montgomery Blair High School, and principal of Argyle Middle School.

Dr. Docca is currently co-chair of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education’s Black and Hispanic Caucus. She has been an officer, Education chair, and Youth Council sponsor of the NAACP. She has served as president and treasurer of the Montgomery County Alliance of Black School Educators, and a member of the Hispanic Educators Association and the Asian American Educators Association.

Dr. Docca holds a bachelor’s degree in romance language and literature from Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in romance language and literature from George Washington University (GWU) and a doctorate in Education Administration from GWU.