Charles County Board Of ED Elects Lukas As Chairperson, Wilson As Vice Chairperson

LA PLATA, Md. - The Board of Education of Charles County today elected Michael Lukas
as its chairperson and Latina L. Wilson as its vice chairperson at the start of the Jan. 11 meeting. The Board votes annually in January to elect a chairman and vice chairman. Both the chairperson and vice chairperson serve a one-year term.

The current Board was elected to office in November 2018. Lukas was first elected to the
Board in 2010 and has served three terms. He has held the positions as its chairperson and
vice chairperson in the past. Wilson has served one term as chairperson, and two as vice
chair.

“It is indeed an honor to serve in any public office,” Lukas said. “No one has been a stronger
supporter of public schools than myself.” Lukas pointed out that he has served on several
committees, including the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) legislative
committee and another focused on the Blueprint, a statewide education plan to expand
opportunities with new resources, programs and staff. What Lukas gleaned from those
positions will serve the Board as it continues its work. “It is vital during this time as we are
facing changes in public education,” he said.

Wilson was the Board chairperson during 2021 and served as its vice chair for two terms in
2019 and 2020, respectively. A Charles County native, Wilson said the education she received
as a Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) student served her as she went on to college and
then as a member of the U.S. Army. The Gulf War veteran said it was never her intention to
run for public office but realized how much she valued education. “Regardless of how you
serve, or what degree of commitment you give to being a Board member, we are a Board,”
Wilson said. “It doesn’t matter who is chair or vice chair but how we work together in
promoting and sustaining an excellent school system.”

Lukas retired as an engineer and branch manager for the U.S. Department of the Navy where
he has worked for more than 35 years. Lukas attended Prince George’s Community College
and the University of Maryland, College Park where he earned a degree in electrical
engineering. He completed graduate studies in systems engineering at George Mason
University and the Naval Post Graduate School. Lukas has volunteered with the Greater
Waldorf Jaycees where he served as the community vice president. He has lived in Charles
County for more than 25 years with his wife, Kim, who is a teacher at the College of Southern
Maryland, and their son who is a 2016 CCPS graduate.

Wilson retired from the Army after serving for 20 years. She is active in the community and serves as president of the Port Tobacco River Conservancy, Vice President of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Southern Maryland Alumni Chapter, Inc., a member of the McConchie One-room School House committee and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also served many years as the education liaison for the Charles County Branch of the NAACP. Ms. Wilson earned a Bachelor of Science in business from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.