Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education
appoints Executive Director

Timmons Brown

COLLEGE PARK, MD (October 2006) – Stephanie Timmons Brown, Ph.D., has been named the first Executive Director of the Maryland Institute for Minority Achievement and Urban Education (MIMAUE) at the College of Education. Her appointment is effective Oct. 4, 2006.

The Institute established Brown's position through the support of PepsiCo Inc., several business leaders in the Prince George's area, NAI, The Michael Companies, Inc., Giant, and Doctors Community Hospital.

"Having a person who can devote 100 percent of her time to establishing and developing the Institute's goals is great for the College," said Martin L. Johnson, associate dean for Urban and Minority Education and director of MIMAUE. Johnson noted the Institute at this point has many opportunities to develop infrastructure to enable its pursuit of research grants, creative outreach programs and activities, and to impact both policy and practice in K-12 schools. "Dr. Brown will have a major influence in the continued development of the Institute and we welcome her aboard."

As Executive Director, Brown assumes operational leadership of MIMAUE. Her responsibilities will include development of an organizational plan for the Institute, supporting its missions and objectives. She will also collaborate with MIMAUE's various stakeholders on expansion and implementation of programs and research that work toward improving student achievement.

"It is with great enthusiasm that I join the Institute," said Brown. "MIMAUE's growth will afford us the opportunity to expand partnerships and apply research to establish action-based collaborations, effectively addressing urban education issues."

Brown earned her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Virginia. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her work in education, Brown was a financial analyst and a senior auditor. Her most recent appointment before joining the Institute was as State College Coordinator at the Maryland Higher Education Commission. In that position she provided programmatic and fiscal oversight of the College Preparation Intervention Program (CPIP)—the higher education portion of the Maryland Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) plan.

Brown says the focus of her efforts is policies and services that impact children from low-income families. "As a team, we will cooperatively work with school district administrators, university faculty and staff, state administrators, and community leaders to reduce the minority achievement gap," said Brown. "Most importantly, it is my expectation the Institute's efforts will improve the academic performance of minority students throughout Maryland and make significant contributions to the national discourse."