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Biography

Darryl L. Williams, Ed.D.

Dr. WilliamsSuperintendent, Baltimore County Public Schools

Darryl L. Williams was appointed superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) on May 21, 2019, by the Board of Education of Baltimore County. He brought to BCPS decades of experience as an educator and administrator in Montgomery County Public Schools and District of Columbia Public Schools.

Highlights of Dr. William’s tenure with BCPS include:

  • Developing a new and improved strategic plan, “The Compass – Our Pathway to Excellence,” approved by the Board of Education in June 2020.
  • Guiding the school system through the global health pandemic that began in March 2020.
  • Working with central office leaders to revitalize the “Teaching and Learning” framework and to use multiple data points when analyzing student progress.
  • Revealing 197 recommendations from an efficiency review conducted by Public Works LLC, in collaboration with Baltimore County government (fall 2021). Under Dr. Williams’ leadership, BCPS implemented 88 percent of the recommendations by March 2022. Enhancements helped the system reduce expenses and operate more efficiently.
  • Initiating a Community Partnership Fair in July 2022. The inaugural event brought together hundreds of nonprofits (that are current or aspiring school/school system partners) with school principals and central office staff. Together, participants explored ways to increase and broaden community partnerships with schools. Dr. Williams continues to collaborate with community leaders and BCPS stakeholders, using an equity lens, to analyze and improve school programs and initiatives to achieve better student outcomes.

Dr. Williams finds it essential to his work to stay close to students, schools, and school communities. By the end of this second year as superintendent, he had visited all 176 BCPS schools. Each week, he continues to visit schools and communities and attends student performances and athletic events.

One of his favorite activities is holding annual meetings with student leaders in every high school. During these visits, he converses with student leaders about their accomplishments, post-graduation plans, the BCPS staff who inspired and challenged them; BCPS programs that benefited them; and ideas for improvements to BCPS.

Dr. Williams began his professional career as a mathematics teacher at his high school alma mater, Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. He then began a 25-year tenure with Montgomery County Public Schools as a mathematics teacher. He was promoted and successfully served as principal of three high schools, and ultimately rose to an associate superintendency. As associate superintendent, he and his directors supervised eight high schools, two specialty schools, 15 middle schools, and 44 elementary schools.

With more than 30 years of experience in education, Dr. Williams has been honored for his work by many organizations. Most recently, he earned the NAACP Award for Educational Leadership Excellence from the Baltimore County Branch; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Baltimore Alumni Chapter Award; 2021 Innovation in Education Award from the Education Foundation of BCPS; and the Northeastern Region of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority’s Notable Centennial Honoree Award in 2022.

Beyond BCPS, Dr. Williams serves the community in various capacities. He is a member of the Large Countywide and Suburban District Consortium, which is affiliated with AASA (the School Superintendents Association); College Board Superintendents’ Advisory Council; National Alliance of Black School Educators; School Club (in Washington, D.C.); Benjamin Banneker Academic High School Alumni Association; Hampton University Alumni Association of Baltimore; University of Maryland College Park College of Education Alumni Board; Baltimore County Branch of NAACP; and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. He serves as secretary on the executive committee of the Public School Superintendents’ Association of Maryland (PSSAM). Dr. Williams regularly mentors aspiring principals and superintendents and has served on several dissertation committees.

A native Washingtonian, Dr. Williams was a member of the first graduating class of Benjamin Banneker Academic High School. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Hampton University and a Master of Arts degree in educational administration from American University. He completed his doctoral degree in educational policy and leadership from the University of Maryland College Park.

Dr. Williams and his wife, Shellie Bronson Williams, live in Baltimore County and are the parents of three young adults. Outside of work, Dr. Williams is a talented musician, loves watching sports, exercising, reading about leadership, going to the movies, and spending time with his family. He loves to learn about people through travel and hopes to visit to all the Historically Black Colleges and Universities and to return to Colombia, South America, where he was an exchange student during high school.

Dr. Williams appreciates his job as superintendent for the opportunities to innovate, lead, and collaborate with students and staff, and to support students as they grow and pursue their higher education and careers. 

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