ROCK HALL — When the new year begins, the Kent County Board of Education will officially seat its two recently elected members.
Laura McKenzie and John Queen took the oath of office last week in advance of the official start of their term on the board.
They were elected in November; the term is four years, beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
On Dec. 9, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Kent County Sherise Kennard administered the oath of office to McKenzie and Queen in separate ceremonies at the Kent County Public Schools administrative building, with their families and friends in the audience.
Superintendent Mary McComas and the current slate of board members also were on hand for the swearing-in event.
McKenzie, a mother of four, is a case manager at the Benedictine School in Ridgely and a licensed mental health therapist practicing at Discovering Serenity Counseling in Chestertown.
“I felt overwhelmed by the privilege of taking a solemn oath to serve our schools in faithfulness and to the best of my ability,” McKenzie said in a news release. “I very much appreciated the congratulations and welcome I received from our superintendent, current board members and central office staff.”
A father of two, Queen is a youth and community organizer and founder of the Bayside HOYAS (Helping Our Youth Achieve Success) program.
“For over a decade I’ve been on the front line, serving Kent County youth and their families while providing solution-based initiatives,” Queen said in the news release. “I’m excited to bring my skill set and community experience to the Board of Education and help provide Kent County Public Schools with leadership, accountability and a vision for the future.”
Learn more about the Kent County Board of Education at https://www.kent.k12.md.us/SchoolBoard.aspx.
Trish McGee, owner and publisher of The Evening Enterprise, is an elected member of the Kent County Board of Education. She did not contribute to this report.
