The Board of Education at its meeting today, Aug. 8, approved the staff appointment of Jaime Whitfield-Coffen as a Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) executive director of schools.
She joins CCPS from Prince George’s County Public Schools where she was most recently the principal at Tulip Grove Elementary School in Bowie.
As a child, Whitfield-Coffen had teachers who inspired her. Along with her mother, they were her greatest cheerleaders, she said. “A very introverted child, my teachers encouraged me to raise my voice and believe in myself,” Whitfield-Coffen said. Going to school and being taught by teachers who believed in her encouraged Whitfield-Coffen to do the same for others. “I wanted to make a difference in my community,” she said. “Becoming an educator was the career path that provided this opportunity. It is one of the best decisions I have ever made. I love this work.”
Whitfield-Coffen will join Linda Gill, Ed.D., and Richard Conley as an executive director of schools in the CCPS Office of School Administration, and will serve on the leadership team of Superintendent of Schools Maria V. Navarro, Ed.D. Executive directors help to oversee daily school operations, supervise school administrators, coordinate high school graduations, student activities and athletics, coordinate hearings for student disciplinary matters, address parent and community school concerns and serve as a point of contact for external and partner agencies, organizations and businesses requesting interaction with schools.
“I am looking forward to working with Team CCPS members to ensure our district sees remarkable growth,” Whitfield-Coffen said. “School improvement is complex work, but it is also necessary work. It is work that takes collaboration and out-of-the-box thinking.”
Whitfield-Coffen graduated from Bowie State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and masters in administration and supervision. She is currently a doctoral candidate through Drexel University in Philadelphia. Her dissertation focus is on the principal and principal supervisor partnership.
Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Richard Pauole was named Director of Student Activities, Athletics and Aquatics by the Board of Education.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 27,598 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.
The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.