Dr. Thomas H. Frank, who has publicly advocated for educational issues across Anne Arundel County for more than three decades, has resigned his seat on the Board of Education of Anne Arundel County.
In a letter to Governor Larry Hogan, Dr. Frank thanked the Governor “for the opportunity to serve in this important capacity.”
“It has been an honor to serve in this capacity as my primary goals have been to help the public understand how kids are doing in school and how much money is being spent on education,” Dr. Frank wrote.
A resident of Crofton for more than 40 years, Dr. Frank first got involved in county schools when his son, Scott, was in elementary school at Crofton Elementary. He continued his involvement with the School Improvement Team when his daughter, Beth, was a student at Arundel High School. Since his children graduated from high school, he has regularly attended school board meetings. He has long had an interest in academic achievement and improving high school graduation rates for all county students.
Dr. Frank also served as a member and chair of the countywide Citizen Advisory Committee.
“There has perhaps been no voice more passionate and persistent on educational issues than that of Tom Frank,” Board of Education President Stacy Korbelak said. “His dedication to students and improving educational outcomes began long before his appointment to the Board, and his work has made an impact. We thank him, and wish him the best in the next chapter of his life.”
Governor Hogan appointed Dr. Frank to one of two at-large seats on the Board in June 2015 to complete the term of former Board member Andrew Pruski. Mr. Pruski resigned to pursue the District 4 seat on the County Council.
“In every conversation I have had with Dr. Frank, it has been clear to me that he has had our students first and foremost in his thoughts,” Superintendent George Arlotto said. “He has dedicated a large part of his life to our school system, and I am very grateful for that.”
Dr. Frank graduated from elementary and high school in South Bend, Ind. He holds a bachelor’s degree in arts and science from Indiana University and a second bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Wyoming. He went on to earn his master’s degree in electrical engineering from New York University and his doctorate in electrical engineering from Catholic University.
After working for Westinghouse Electric Corp. (now Northrop Grumman), he started and ran a biomedical engineering company, Perinatronics Medical Systems, Inc., for 30 years, focusing his work on fetal heart rate monitoring and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The work resulted in a number of grants from the National Institutes of Health, several scientific publications, and U.S. and international patents.
He and his late wife, Sunny, were married for 43 years.