Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) has officially announced the appointment of McKenna Lewis, Ed.D., as the new Director of Elementary Education. This announcement comes after the Board of Education of Charles County approved Lewis’s appointment during their meeting on March 12. Lewis, who is set to take over the role effective July 1, is currently the principal at Heather Hills Elementary School within Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS).
Lewis will be stepping into the position following the retirement of Meighan Hungerford, the current Director of Elementary Education, at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. In her remarks to the Board, Lewis expressed her enthusiasm about joining the CCPS leadership team, emphasizing her passion for student outcomes, dedication to supporting educational staff, and her eagerness to engage deeply with student data to foster community support.
With a tenure starting in 2018 as an elementary school principal within PGCPS, Lewis has a proven track record of enhancing student performance and achievement across county and state assessments. She has been pivotal in fostering collaboration among educational stakeholders, ensuring the availability of increased services and resources for students, and facilitating professional learning to augment the knowledge and skills of school administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and families.
Lewis’s commitment to equitable educational practices has been evident throughout her career, ensuring that students with disabilities, advanced learners, English language learners, and students in poverty have access to the same quality education as their peers. Her role in developing a talented and gifted learning community at Imagine Foundations charter school, where she served as an assistant principal and academic facilitator, highlights her dedication to educational excellence.
Her educational career also spans roles such as assistant principal at The SEED School of Maryland in Baltimore, Dean of Student Support at KIPP-Ujima Village Academy within Baltimore County Public Schools, and starting as a sixth-grade math teacher with the District of Columbia Public Schools. To facilitate a smooth transition into her new role, Lewis will work closely with Hungerford until her retirement.
Lewis’s qualifications include being a School Improvement Leadership Academy Fellow with the University of Maryland, certification through the National Association of Elementary School Principals as a national principal mentor, and holding a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership, K-12, from Grand Canyon University. She also has an Education Specialist certification in special education from The George Washington University, a Master of Arts in Teaching focused on elementary education from American University, and a Bachelor of Arts in mass media arts from Hampton University.
