School board members on Thursday elected Grace Rivera-Oven to be their president and Brenda Wolff to be vice president. The new positions take effect Dec. 1.
Rivera-Oven currently serves as board vice president and also CEO of The Upcounty Hub in Germantown. She was elected to the school board in 2022 and represents District 1. She filed Thursday for re-election.
“It is a privilege to walk into schools, to talk to these beautiful children, to be able to encourage young people that ‘Sí se puede,’ that yes you can, you can acquire you dreams, you can work hard, and you are able to achieve what you want to achieve,” Rivera-Oven said during Thursday’s school board meeting. She added, “I think we’re in very difficult times,” and that there is a lot of work to do.
Wolff was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, representing District 5. She previously served two terms as president and one as vice president.
Outgoing School Board President Julie Yang is running for the county council’s District 1 seat. “It has truly been the greatest honor of my professional life,” she said of her term on the board.
Reflecting on the year, Yang, who represents District 3, said the board adopted a new strategic plan that sets “a unified North Star” for achievement and readiness. The board passed a “historic investment” $3.6 billion operating budget.
“This board has demonstrated that we are not afraid to confront serious issues and make corrections,” Yang said. She talked to MCM in August about several negative reports about Montgomery County Public Schools from the county’s Office of Inspector General.
“I just want to thank you both for the work that you have extended this past year and the extra effort that you’ve put in to make MCPS a great school system,” MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor, Ed.D., told Yang and Rivera-Oven.
The school board president and vice president serve one-year terms.
