Dr. Michael J. Martirano was named superintendent for the Howard County Public School System, a top-performing district in the State of Maryland and nationwide, in July 2018 after serving as Superintendent of St. Mary’s County, Maryland and the State Superintendent of West Virginia. An educator for more than 35 years, he considers himself a teacher first and foremost. He is guided by the principle “to teach a child well, you must know a child well,” and is committed to ensuring every student has an equitable opportunity to succeed in an inclusive and nurturing environment.

Having endured several family tragedies throughout his life, Dr. Martirano publicly shares his story as a way to frame the perspective of every educator and guide every student to achieve. His vision is encapsulated in his Strategic Call to Action, which places students and equity at the heart of all decisions and serves as the foundation for system work toward ensuring academic success and social-emotional well-being for each student. His extraordinary leadership has steered the school system through several challenging but critical moments including a large-scale redistricting effort aimed at eliminating crowded schools and deducting socio-economic and racial segregation in schools across the county. As stated by The Century Foundation, “Superintendent Martirano sparked a national conversation calling for leaders to be thoughtful and intentional in integrating their schools. A job well done to the superintendent, and now, fellow school leaders must follow suit.” Additionally, he guided the system out of a $35 million budget deficit he inherited and focused on reading and mental health as drivers to lead the system out of the COVID-19 pandemic.