Nancy S. Grasmick is the former Superintendent of the Maryland State Department of Education, serving from 1991 until June 30, 2011. Married to Baltimore businessman Lou Grasmick, who died in 2016, the couple also became active in various philanthropic endeavors.

Early years and education

Born Nancy Streeks, Grasmick was raised in Baltimore's

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

neighborhood. While still a teenager attending

Western High School Western High School may refer: Schools in the United States *Western High School (Anaheim, California) – Anaheim, California * Western High School (Illinois) – Barry, Illinois * Western High School (Florida) – Davie, Florida * Western High S ...

, she had a bout of temporary deafness as a reaction to medication. She said later that she was inspired by the example of Helen Keller and decided to devote her life to education. She received her doctorate from the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

, her master's degree from

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...

, and her bachelor's degree from Towson University.

Career

Grasmick began as a teacher of deaf children at the William S. Baer School in the Baltimore City Public Schools. She subsequently served as a classroom and resource teacher, principal, supervisor, assistant superintendent, and associate superintendent in the

Baltimore County Public Schools Baltimore County Public Schools is the school district in charge of all public schools in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is the 25th largest school system in the US as of 2013. The school system is managed by the Board of Education, ...

. In 1989, Governor

William Donald Schaefer William Donald Schaefer (November 2, 1921 – April 18, 2011) was an American politician who served in public office for 50 years at both the state and local level in Maryland. As a Democrat, he was the 45th mayor of Baltimore from December 1 ...

appointed her Special Secretary for Children, Youth, and Families and, in 1991, the State Board of Education appointed her State Superintendent of Schools. In 1997, Grasmick was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. In 2000, Grasmick was the recipient of the ''Harold W. McGraw, Jr., Prize in Education'', awarded in recognition of her achievements as head of the Maryland School system. In 2008, then-Governor

Martin O'Malley Martin Joseph O'Malley (born January 18, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as the 61st Governor of Maryland from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 to 2007. O'Malley ...

unsuccessfully sought to replace Grasmick as Superintendent, calling her "a pawn of the Republican Party" because of her support of No Child Left Behind. At the time, '' Education Week'' ranked Maryland's schools third best in the U.S., based on several criteria. The effort ultimately failed, however, and she served for another three years, retiring at age 72 in June, 2011. By then, ''Education Week'' ranked Maryland's schools #1 in the nation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grasmick, Nancy Towson University alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni Superintendents of Public Instruction of Maryland Women in Maryland politics Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Politicians from Baltimore Gallaudet University alumni 21st-century American women