Maryland Business Roundtable for Education Executive Director June Streckfus to Retire

Maryland Business Roundtable for Education Executive Director June Streckfus to Retire

Baltimore, MD – June E. Streckfus, the founding executive director of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education, has announced she will step down after 23 years at the end of 2014.

Founded in 1992, the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education is the only statewide business organization solely dedicated to improving education and student achievement and ensuring that students graduate from high school well-prepared to succeed in college and the workforce.

Working in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education and local districts, MBRT strongly promoted and supported state efforts to raise standards, establish rigorous assessments, and increase accountability.  Since 1992, academic expectations were raised from Maryland Functional Tests to internationally benchmarked standards aligned with college readiness.  Maryland moved from middle of the pack to the top five among all 50 states on National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and made the most progress in closing achievement gaps.  Maryland was ranked #1 in education by Education Week for five consecutive years, and ranks #1 in Advanced Placement courses taken and tests passed.

Norm Augustine, MBRT’s founding chairman and retired CEO of Lockheed Martin, congratulated Streckfus on her leadership and contributions to MBRT over these many years. “Without your dedicated and creative involvement, none of the progress that has been made would have been possible,” Augustine said.

During Streckfus’ tenure, MBRT created and implemented innovative, breakthrough strategies and tools that are resulting in:

·         improved teaching and learning

·         broad access to and effective use of technology in schools

·         unprecedented collection/analysis/use of data to guide educational strategies, policy, and funding

·         increased student motivation to achieve

·         heightened awareness among students, teachers and parents of the connection between achievement in school and success in the world of work.

According to current MBRT Chair, Gloria Flach, President of Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems, “June Streckfus’ commitment to education excellence in the state of Maryland is exceptional.  The impact and success that MBRT has had is a direct result of June’s strong leadership, passion for education, vision of what’s possible, and her well-earned standing in the community.  She has given selflessly of herself for decades because she believes that there is no higher purpose than preparing our children for successful lives.  She leaves a strong legacy and will be sorely missed.”

Streckfus’ career spans 46 years.  A former teacher, county administrator, and U.S. Senatorial state administrator, Streckfus has worked relentlessly to involve business in the process of school improvement.  Her leadership skills, diverse background, and unbending integrity have won her the respect and confidence of corporate executives, educators, government officials, and community leaders.  Among honors, June was named Education/Workforce Professional of the Year (National Alliance of Business), Maryland’s Top 100 Women, Innovator of the Year and Influential Marylander (Daily Record), and inducted in the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame.

UMBC President and MBRT Board Member, Freeman Hrabowski, commented, “June has been an amazing leader. Her approach has been to build strong partnerships between the public and private sectors to support students and create new opportunities for learning. The State is stronger today because of the work of the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education."

Streckfus said, “Working to better Maryland’s education system and prepare our young people for the next steps in their lives has been a privilege and an honor.  MBRT is at an important crossroads, and I look forward to watching the organization continue to grow and impact the lives of Maryland’s young people.”

The MBRT Board of Directors is conducting a comprehensive search for Streckfus’ successor.  Those interested in applying should send a letter of interest and resume to: 

David Velazquez

Chair, MBRT Search Committee

c/o Pepco Holdings, Inc.

701 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 1002

Washington, DC   20068

david.velazquez@pepcoholdings.com

About MBRT:

Founded in 1992, MBRT is a non-profit coalition of leading employers that have made a long-term commitment to support education reform and improve student achievement in Maryland. For more information, visit www.mbrt.org.

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