Maria Delores Sasso, who has represented Legislative District 30 on the Board of Education since February 2016, announced today that she will leave the Board effectively July 31, 2018.
In a resignation letter to Governor Larry Hogan, Sasso said the need to allocate more time to personal and family issues drove her decision. Maryland State School Superintendent Dr. Karen B. Salmon and School Board Appointment Commission of Anne Arundel County (SBAC) Chairman Susannah Kipke were copied on Sasso’s letter.
“It has been an honor to serve on the Board and to represent the Latin American community in our county and beyond,” Sasso wrote. “It is my belief and hope that I have positively contributed to Anne Arundel County Public Schools and the public education system in general.”
Sasso’s term is set to expire in December 2020. The SBAC will now be charged with appointing a replacement, who must be a District 30 resident, to complete the term.
Mrs. Sasso holds a master’s degree in International Relations with a specialty in trade and business development, and a real estate broker’s license. She is a notary public and a Maryland Court interpreter. Her work experience includes teaching at the elementary, secondary and college levels, and serving as a high school principal.
In May 2017, Sasso was elected Northeast Region Director of the National School Boards Association’s Hispanic Council.
“Maria has done an incredible job of investing the time and energy necessary not just to learn about key issues facing our school system, but to understand them deeply,” Board President Julie Hummer said. “Her energy and passion for the children of our county – particularly minority children and those from disadvantaged backgrounds – have made a tremendous difference for our school system, and will be missed.
As a volunteer in Anne Arundel County, Sasso has organized many projects for the Latin American community. She was president of the Organization of Hispanics & Latin Americans (OHLA) from 1999 to 2000, and director of the Association of Latinos of Maryland (ALMA) from 2002-2004. She also has served as president of the Hispanic Republicans; Third Vice President, Membership Chair, and Assistant Treasurer of the Republican Women of Anne Arundel County; and chair of the Maryland Association of Realtors Equal Opportunity Committee.
She also has served as a mentor for a child through the Anne Arundel County Department of Social Services, an evaluator for the National Endowment of the Arts, and as a trustee for Música De Cámara in New York City.
“I have greatly appreciated the tenacity with which Mrs. Sasso has gone about the work of the Board of Education, and the spirited way in which she approaches every task related to the Board’s work,” Superintendent George Arlotto said.
The SBAC will announce a process to solicit applications for the seat in the near future.