County school board appoints eight to new MCPS leadership posts  

Chief academic officer, general counsel replaced 

February 4, 2025 6:22 p.m.

The Montgomery County school board unanimously approved appointments of eight high-level administrators Tuesday, reassigning some staff and adding new hires under a restructuring of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) leadership.  

MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor is reorganizing the district’s central office at the leadership and general staffing levels. Taylor said Thursday the restructuring of the central office, which includes cutting about 81 positions, would provide more support to schools through the reassignment of some staff members.  

MCPS began making changes to its leadership structure in November, after it announced eight chief-level positions. The posts include the chiefs of school leadership, talent management, student support, equity and development, technology, academics, and operations. The district also listed the post of general counsel, or the head of the district’s in-house legal team, as an open position. All positions were filled by Tuesday’s appointments and report to Taylor.  

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The annual salary for each of the eight positions is $249,322 and employment begins July 1, the start of fiscal year 2026, according to the job postings.  

Here are the approved appointments: 

  • The board appointed Peter Moran to be the chief school leadership officer. Moran serves as the chief of schools in the Office of School Support and Improvement. According to the district’s fiscal year 2026 organizational chart, Moran will oversee school leadership, athletics and student conduct.  
  • Kaylan Connally will serve as chief talent management officer. Connally is the chief talent officer for the School District of Philadelphia, the city’s public school system, according to Taylor. She also has served as a policy analyst for New America, a D.C.-based think tank, according to the New America website. Connally will oversee compliance and investigation, human resources information systems and talent acquisition, according to the organizational chart.  
  • Margaret Cage was appointed to be the chief student support officer. Cage is the state deputy secretary for special education in New Mexico. Taylor said Cage has more than 25 years of experience in education and has served as a teacher, principal and instructional coach. According to the organizational chart, Cage will oversee special education services, school counseling and student wellbeing. 
  • The board appointed Nyah Hamlett to be the district’s chief equity and development officer. An alumnus of Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Hamlett is the superintendent of Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in North Carolina and has also served as the chief of staff in Loudon County Public Schools in Virginia, according to her LinkedIn profile. Hamlett will oversee professional learning, strategic planning and systemwide equity, according to the organizational chart. 
  • Kimberly Fields will serve as the chief technology officer. Taylor said Fields has worked for MCPS for two and a half years as the director of business information systems. According to the organizational chart, Fields will oversee data systems as well as cybersecurity and infrastructure. 
  • A nearly 30-year veteran of MCPS, Niki Hazel was appointed to be the chief academic officer. She serves as the associate superintendent of curriculum and instructional programs. According to the organizational chart, Hazel will oversee academic programs, curriculum development and the Division of English and Multilingual Learners. 
  • Adnan Mamoon, who is the deputy chief of facilities management, will serve as the district’s chief operations officer beginning July 1. As chief operations officer, Mamoon will oversee facilities management and transportation services.  
  • The board appointed Robyn Seabrook to serve as MCPS general counsel. According to her LinkedIn profile, Seabrook is the senior hearing administrator Prince George’s County Public Schools.  

Many of the new positions replace or rearrange responsibilities of existing leadership positions that are filled, including chief academic officer, chief of human resources and development, chief of district operations, chief of strategic initiatives and general counsel. 

Peggy Pugh, the current MCPS chief academic officer, said in an email to Bethesda Today that after 30 years in Maryland public education, her plan is to retire at the end of the school year.  

April Key, the chief of human resources and development, whose responsibilities overlap with the chief talent management officer position, did not immediately respond Tuesday to an email requesting comment on whether she will continue to be employed with MCPS. 

Dana Edwards has been serving as chief of district operations, overseeing transportation, labor relations, student welfare and compliance, and materials management. Edwards didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment on whether she will continue working for MCPS. 

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Stephanie Williams is general counsel for MCPS, and didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment on whether she will continue her employment with MCPS. 

The chief of strategic initiatives position wasn’t included in the fiscal year 2026 organizational chart. Stephanie Sheron, who serves in the role, didn’t immediately respond to an email requesting comment on the status of her employment with MCPS. 

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