Board of Education Appoints Dr. Monique Felder as Interim Superintendent of Schools

The Montgomery County Board of Education appointed Dr. Monique Felder as interim superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) at its Board meeting on Tuesday.

Dr. Felder brings 32 years of experience in public education, including as superintendent for Orange County Public Schools in North Carolina, where she was nominated as regional superintendent of the year.

Prior to her superintendency, she served as the Chief Academic Officer for Metro Nashville Public Schools (TN), as an executive director for Prince George’s County Public Schools (MD), and as a teacher, the Director of Accelerated and Enriched Instruction, and Director of the Interventions Network for MCPS.

“Dr. Felder has a long and successful career in public education, and is already familiar with MCPS,” said Karla Silvestre, President of the Board of Education. “We are confident that her background in district leadership, instruction and administration makes her the right person to carry us through this transition and begin the work to rebuild trust among staff and the community, while we identify the next permanent superintendent.”

Dr. Felder started her career with MCPS, serving as a classroom teacher, assistant principal and principal. During her time with MCPS she was recognized with the International Reading Association’s Award for Exemplary Reading Programs in the state of Maryland, and as a finalist for the Washington Post’s Outstanding Leadership Award. She served as the director and supervisor of Accelerated and Enriched Instruction for MCPS for 6 years and and Director of the Interventions Network for one year before moving to Prince George’s County Public Schools (MD) as the Executive Director for Teaching and Learning.

While serving as the Chief Academic Officer for Metro Nashville Public Schools (TN) she leveraged her leadership skills and instructional expertise to outpace the state in literacy achievement, raise SAT scores, and decrease suspensions. She also oversaw an increase in the number of students graduating with an associate’s degree or certificate, and an increase in graduation rates for all students while significantly improving graduation rates for students who had traditionally been underserved.

During her four years as superintendent of Orange County Schools in North Carolina, she was unanimously nominated as the regional superintendent of the year by the Board and staff for her work boosting academic achievement.

A native of New York, Dr. Felder holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from York College (NY), a Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University (MD) with a specialization in elementary science and mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VA), where she studied the effective leadership behaviors and practices of principals in elementary schools serving predominantly students of color.

She has also pursued post-doctoral studies at McDaniel College earning an advanced certificate in Equity and Excellence in Education, and is co-author of the book Increasing Diversity in Gifted Education: Research Based Strategies for Identification and Program Services. In 2022, she was selected as a collaborating author of STEM Century: It Takes a Village to Raise a 21st Century Graduate, with a chapter entitled: “You Can’t Be What You Can’t See: Increasing Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Diversity in STEM-Careers.”

Most recently, Dr. Felder has been coaching and mentoring principals and assistant principals in New Jersey and working with forward-thinking superintendents in North Carolina on identifying and implementing innovative programs.

In the vein of transparency, the Board wants to make it clear that they are aware of a prior investigation into the financial disclosure reporting of an honorarium received by Dr. Felder from an educational consulting company in 2019. The Board has reviewed the findings and is confident that the findings were unsubstantiated as the report concluded. The Board is confident that Dr. Felder is a trustworthy, upstanding and highly respected educational leader who will be able to competently guide MCPS through this transition.