Maryland Superintendent Appoints Dr. James C. Bell Jr. to Chair PGCPS Search

Maryland State Superintendent Dr. Carey Wright has appointed Dr. James C. Bell Jr. to chair the superintendent search committee for Prince George’s County Public Schools, according to a state-level report that announced the selection. The report did not include a date for that appointment; the action positions a named chair as the district continues leadership changes.

Prince George’s County Public Schools issued a separate press release dated July 25, 2025, saying Interim Superintendent Dr. Shawn Joseph "announced the appointment of four distinguished leaders to key executive roles" as part of what the district called a move toward "academic excellence and systemic transformation." The release lists the PGCPS Office of Communications contact as 301-952-6001 and communications@pgcps.org and is filed from Upper Marlboro, MD.

The July 25 release names two of the appointees and summarizes their experience. Dr. Dana E. Edwards is identified as Associate Superintendent for Middle Schools and described as a "transformative systems thinker with over 20 years of leadership experience in Maryland," who "most recently [served] as Chief of District Operations for Montgomery County Public Schools" and is "known for reversing workforce shortages, launching innovative out-of-school-time programs, and implementing culturally responsive stakeholder strategies." The district said Edwards is "poised to align operational excellence with instructional priorities to accelerate student achievement across the district’s middle schools."

The release also names Dr. Ron Watson as Senior Advisor to the Superintendent, calling him "a lifelong Prince Georgian, State Senator, and former Board of Education Vice-Chair." PGCPS notes Watson is "a U.S. Army veteran" who "has spent over three decades consulting with the Department of Defense on strategic operations," and that "his academic foundation - including a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering - and history of public service in education make him uniquely suited to advise the Superintendent on local, state, and federal policy issues."

County-level officials are moving to formalize interim leadership as the district reorganizes. Chairman Branndon Jackson of the Prince George’s County Board of Education said the Board "appreciates County Executive-elect Braveboy’s leadership and commitment to public education, and we look forward to working with Dr. Joseph to improve outcomes for all students," and added, "In the coming days, we’ll work diligently to formalize Dr. Joseph’s appointment and then collaborate with him to set meaningful and transparent goals and objectives for the future." An Instagram post also stated, "I am pleased to announce that Doctor Shawn Joseph will serve as the next interim school superintendent for Prince George's County Public Schools."

The state education context includes the Maryland State Board of Education’s selection of Dr. Carey Wright as State Superintendent on April 24, 2024, for a term beginning July 1, 2024 and continuing through June 30, 2028. The State Board retained Hazard, Young, and Attea Associates to run a nationwide search for the state superintendent; HYA’s process included recruitment, stakeholder engagement, vetting, and virtual town halls in which "all town hall participants will be asked the same three questions" and facilitators explain how participants will be called on.

The reported appointment of Dr. James C. Bell Jr. as chair of the PGCPS superintendent search committee appears in the state-level report but is not named in PGCPS’s July 25, 2025 release, which focuses on the four executive appointments. For more information or to request the full July 25 release and the complete list of appointees, PGCPS lists its communications office at 301-952-6001 and communications@pgcps.org in Upper Marlboro. As the Board moves to formalize interim leadership and the district outlines its executive team, clarity on the search timeline and the role of a search chair will determine how quickly PGCPS advances toward filling the superintendent post.