Deputy Commissioner Angela Faherty takes helm at Department of Education
Photos can be downloaded from www.maine.gov/education/news/images/
AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today swore in Angela Faherty as the Acting Commissioner for the Maine Department of Education.
“Angela has the experience and the expertise to lead the Department of Education as we continue to implement important reforms,” Governor Baldacci said. “She shares my vision for better schools that provide the greatest opportunity for success to Maine’s students.”
Faherty replaces Susan A. Gendron, who left the department to become policy director for the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, a group of more than 30 states working to develop common assessments and to compete for a share of $350 million in federal Race to the Top education reform funds. Gendron’s last day was Friday, April 30. Faherty has been the Deputy Commissioner at the Maine Department of Education for almost four years, and with the Department for two years before that. As Deputy Commissioner, Faherty has led numerous stakeholder groups and initiatives, including implementing the development of quality teaching and learning standards for 21st century learners. She has served on the executive committee of Maine’s North Star Alliance Initiative, “A Partnership to Transform the Workforce and Economy of Coastal Maine” and as a member of the Governor’s Multicultural Affairs Sub-Cabinet. She also has been the lead manager of Maine’s Race to the Top application for federal funds. Faherty earned her bachelor’s degree from the City College of New York and received her master’s in Education from the City University of New York and a doctorate in Education from the University of Missouri.
She has been a classroom teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels in literacy development, special education, and gifted and talented in the New York City, Missouri and Salt Lake City school systems. She was assistant professor at the University of Northern Iowa and adjunct professor at the University of Southern Maine, St. Joseph’s College and Walden University.
For more information, visit the Maine Department of Education