Lawrence E. Schmidt, Esq.

President
Third Councilmanic District
Appointed: July 2009 – Term Expires: June 2014

Mr. Schmidt is a partner at Smith, Gildea & Schmidt, LLC; a law firm specializing in land use matters including zoning, development, historic preservation, environmental issues, and related litigation. He has served on the Baltimore County Zoning Commission and the Baltimore County Board of Appeals. A 1975 graduate of Western Maryland College (now McDaniel College), Mr. Schmidt received his law degree from the University of Baltimore. Mr. Schmidt also has participated in many volunteer and community activities; he served as president of the Greater Towson Committee and on the board of the Home Builders Association of Maryland. He has volunteered for the regional Mock Trial program in association with the Maryland State Department of Education and Baltimore County Public Schools. Mr. Schmidt is married to a Baltimore County Public School kindergarten teacher, and his family members are all products of Baltimore County Public Schools. 

Valerie A. Roddy

Vice President
Fifth Councilmanic District
Appointed August 2008 – Term expires: June 2013

As Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary for Behavioral Health and Disabilities, Ms. Roddy formerly worked for both Baltimore County government as well as the Baltimore County Public Schools system. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Salisbury University. She is married and has two children. Her interests include antiques and cycling.

S. Dallas Dance, Ph.D.

Secretary - Treasurer

Dr. S. Dallas Dance began his tenure as Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools on July 1, 2012, with a focus on creating a culture of deliberate excellence through the acceleration of student achievement and district and school improvement. Four major issues top his priority list: developing Blueprint 2.0, the district's five-year strategic plan; ensuring a highly rigorous curriculum and academic program in all content areas while transitioning to the Common Core State Standards; focusing strategically on professional growth and development for all employees; and ensuring timely, transparent, and clear internal and external communications.

As he continues to meet numerous school system stakeholders, his transition team, led by Dr. Nancy Grasmick, former Maryland State Superintendent, and Dr. Bill Bosher, former Virginia State Superintendent, will employ various methods to determine current strengths and challenges of Baltimore County Public Schools and to provide short-term and long-term recommendations for Dr. Dance's review. In addition to the former state superintendents, the transition team consists of several education, business, and community leaders who will focus its efforts around four critical areas: Organizational Efficiency and Effectiveness, Teaching and Learning, Culture and Context, and Finance and Operations. The team is expected to conclude its work by October 1, 2012.

Distinguished as a vibrant and driven leader, Dr. Dance is highly regarded for his problem-solving, consensus-building, communication, and human relations skills. He believes strongly in the potential of every student and that through functioning as Team BCPS and maintaining a constant dialogue with staff, students, and community members all students will achieve at the highest levels.

Prior to his appointment in Baltimore County, Dr. Dance served as one of three Chief School Officers responsible for the administration of nearly 300 schools in the Houston Independent School District (HISD), the seventh largest school system in the nation. As part of the HISD senior leadership team, Dr. Dance played a significant role in improving student academic performance and launching several innovations including two single-gender college preparatory academies and the redesign of a school to accelerate at-risk students.

Before his tenure in Houston, Dr. Dance served in executive school and district leadership positions in Virginia that leveraged his expertise in curriculum, instruction, assessment, school improvement, and strategic planning.

Dr. Dance earned a doctorate degree in educational leadership and master's degree in administration and supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelor's degree in English from Virginia Union University.

A resident of Baltimore County, Dr. Dance is the proud father of a son, Myles Dallas Dance.

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Olivia Adams

Student Representative
Appointed July 2012 – Term expires:  June 2013

Olivia Adams, a senior at Pikesville High School, is the student member of the Baltimore County Board of Education. In addition to her work on the Board, she also serves as president of her school's National Honor Society chapter for the 2012-13 school year.  Ms. Adams is interested in public service and policy and in journalism, which she plans to study in college.  She has been a staff member of Pikeville High's newspaper, the Pipeline, for three years and will serve in a leadership position this year.  Ms. Adams also enjoys volunteering at a Reisterstown area animal shelter, writing college essays, and spending time with friends and family.

Michael H. Bowler

First Council District
Appointed July 2010 - Term Expires: June 2015

A longtime observer of education in Maryland, Mr. Bowler spent 34 years as the education writer, editor, and columnist for The Baltimore Sun until his retirement in 2004. He earned degrees at Columbia College in New York and from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and he has served on the School Improvement Team at Hillcrest Elementary School in Catonsville. A former teacher of English, social studies, and journalism, Mr. Bowler is married and the father of a son, and he enjoys collecting beer cans and spending time with his grandson.

Cornelia Bright Gordon

Member-at-Large
Appointed July 2011 – Term expires: June 2012

Biographical information to follow.

Charles McDaniels, Jr.

Fourth Council District
Appointed July 2011 – Term expires: June 2016

A lifelong Marylander, Charles McDaniels currently works as a steel sales and technical consultant.  He recently completed a 33-year career as a metallurgical engineer and sales/marketing manager at a Sparrows Point, MD, steel facility.  His educational background includes a bachelor of sciences degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University Maryland.  He is the married father of a son and daughter.

Michael J. Collins

Member-at-Large
Appointed July 2011 – Term expires: June 2016

Mr. Collins currently serves as the Chairman of the Maryland State Board of Contract Appeals.  A graduate of the University of Scranton, he also holds an advanced degree from the Johns Hopkins University.  Previously, Mr. Collins taught at Kenwood High School for 30 years, served as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for eight years, and served as a member of the Senate of Maryland for 16 years.

Rodger C. Janssen

Sixth Councilmanic District
Appointed August 2004 - Term Expires: June 2014

Mr. Janssen has begun his ninth year on the Baltimore County Board of Education.  He served as Vice President in 2006-2007, and served on the Policy Review Committee from 2005 until 2011, the Ethics Committee 2007-2008, and currently serves on the Building and Contracts Committee (since 2005), and on the Budget and Audit Committee (since 2004) of which he is Chairman (since 2008).

Mr. Janssen, who will become MABE's President in October 2012, became a member of the MABE Board of Directors in October 2007, and for the past two years has served as an officer.  He also is a member of MABE's Resolutions Committee (since 2005; he was the Chair from 2007-2011), and MABE's Nominating Committee (since 2005).

In 2007, Mr. Janssen was appointed as a Trustee of MABE's Workers Compensation Group Self-Insurance Fund.  Additionally, Mr. Janssen has served as Secretary-Treasurer of the National School Boards Association's (NSBA) "BuyBoard" since its inception in 2010.

Mr. Janssen served on the Baltimore County PTA Council in various capacities from the early 1990s until his appointment to the Baltimore County Board of Education in 2004.

Mr. Janssen is in Facilities Construction for the Maryland Transportation Authority.  He is married with two children and two grandchildren.

Ramona N. Johnson

Second Council District
Appointed: August 2004 – Term Expires: June 2014

Ms. Johnson began her Board of Education service in August 2004 following her appointment to a five-year term. Married and the mother of a son and two daughters, Ms. Johnson is employed by NeighborWorks America as a Management Consultant. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. She is a 2002 graduate of Leadership Baltimore County and serves on the boards of the Liberty/Randallstown Coalition and the Community Capital of Maryland. She has served as chair of the Urban Design Assistance Team for Randallstown and enjoys reading, arts, and crafts.

George J. Moniodis

Member-at-Large
Appointed July 2010 - Term Expires: June 2015

Currently a commercial sales associate for Coldwell Banker in Catonsville, Mr. Moniodis has more than 44 years of public affairs management experience, including 35 years as Public Relations Director and Director of Governmental Affairs for St. Agnes Healthcare. He has served as a member of the Maryland Citizen Advisory Council for the Red Line and recently won the 2010 St. Agnes Healthcare Caritas Award. The married father of two daughters, Mr. Moniodis is a graduate of Baltimore City College and earned a degree in Industrial Management from the University of Baltimore. He has also served as president of Buddies, Inc., and as president of the Greektown Community Development Association.

H. Edward Parker

Seventh Council District
Appointed: July 2006 – Term Expires: June 2014
Vice President 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

A Dundalk native, Mr. Parker is the retired principal of Sollers Point Technical High School. He came to his career as an educator following an 11-year manufacturing career in the private sector. Mr. Parker received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Baltimore in Business Management and a master’s degree from The Johns Hopkins University in Educational Administration. He has served as a trustee for the Community College of Baltimore County and is a member of the board of directors for the Dundalk Renaissance Corp., member of the Bayview Medical Center Community Advisory Board, and the residential community representative for the Port Land Use Development Advisory Council. Under his leadership as principal at Sollers Point Technical High School, the school became ISO-9001 registered in 2000 – the only high school in the nation to meet the quality standards of business and industry.  During his 30 years with Baltimore County Public Schools, Mr. Parker also served as supervisor of vocational-technical education. He is proud of his five children, 11 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

David Uhlfelder

Member-at-large
Appointed August 2008 – Term expires: June 2013

Mr. Uhlfelder is a certified public accountant who attended the University of Maryland College Park and earned his degree in business and public administration. He is married and is a member of the board of directors for the Pikesville Chamber of Commerce and a life member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Uhlfelder is also a Board member and treasurer of the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center and Hospital.