Towson University Presidential Scholar Nancy Grasmick, Ph.D., has taken the role of interim president of the Carson Scholars Fund (CSF) after Dr. Ben Carson and his wife, Candy, decided to take a leave of absence to focus on Dr. Carson’s bid for the U.S. presidency in 2016.
Grasmick was the state superintendent of Maryland Public Schools for 20 years from 1991 until 2011, serving 24 districts, 1,424 schools and 869,113 students. She was both the first female superintendent in Maryland history and the longest-serving appointed superintendent in U.S. history.
Throughout her career, which began as a classroom teacher at the William S. Baer School for the Deaf in Baltimore City, she has been guided by the belief that every child deserves an exceptional education. That belief matches perfectly with a stated aim of the CSF that if children could be taught early to excel, they would stay motivated and have a higher chance of educational success later in life.
In 2012, Grasmick was named the Presidential Scholar for Innovation in Teacher and Leader Preparation at her alma mater, Towson University, where she collaborates with national experts and practitioners to transform the way that teachers deliver classroom instruction and engage students in learning. She is also vice president of the board and a faculty member at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, co-directing an innovative fellowship program to prepare administrators as leaders in special education.
Grasmick received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Towson University, her master’s degree in deaf education from Gallaudet University, and her doctoral degree in communicative sciences from Johns Hopkins University.
