撸先生

A giant in Maryland education is lending her vision and philanthropic support to an innovative new institute.

By Mike Unger

Nancy Grasmick is one of the most accomplished leaders in the world of education. As superintendent of Maryland Public Schools from 1991 to 2011, she got results: For five years in a row, the state was ranked first in the country by Education Week. In the last decade, she鈥檚 become the first female president of the Board of Directors at the Kennedy-Krieger Institute and the first presidential scholar at Towson University.

But Grasmick 鈥�61, 鈥�92 has never forgotten her foundation. She鈥檒l always be a teacher, and she knows that leadership鈥攍ike anything else鈥攊s a skill that can be taught and learned. That鈥檚 one of the core principles of the new Dr. Nancy Grasmick Leadership Institute at 撸先生.

鈥淚 was always struck with the idea that people frequently said 鈥楲eaders are born,鈥� as if they don鈥檛 have to be prepared or cultivated,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t became evident to me that one has such an advantage if you have very strong opportunities to advance your leadership skills. I thought there really needed to be a place that鈥檚 highly organized, that speaks to people who aspire to leadership, to people who need specific coaching to improve their specific skill sets.鈥�

So Grasmick put her money where her heart is. She donated $1.5 million toward the establishment of the institute, which will be an outward-facing entity designed to attract professionals from diverse industries and backgrounds who want to establish, expand and hone expertise as highly effective leaders, team builders and culture creators.

鈥淭his is being realized because of Nancy Grasmick. She was absolutely the catalyst,鈥� President Kim Schatzel says. 鈥淭his comprehensive institute will serve leaders across all industry sectors and throughout their professional journey. Dr. Grasmick鈥檚 dedication to seeing the institute realized and her influence as a leadership visionary have truly had a profound impact.鈥�

Grasmick donated $250,000 to fund a planning phase that under the leadership of Daraius Irani, vice president of strategic partnerships and applied research, and Bobbie Laur, associate vice president of outreach, included in-depth review and interviews with dozens of leaders and institutes both in Maryland and across the nation over two years. It will culminate in the hiring of an executive director to lead the institute.

Grasmick鈥檚 own leadership experience and achievements have inspired the blueprint for the institute, which will begin programming in July. Lately, that鈥檚 been from her house near Towson, where she鈥檚 been since the pandemic started. Like the rest of us, she鈥檚 been using some of her downtime to go through her closets and take old clothes to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Not that there鈥檚 much downtime. She sits on the boards of about a dozen organizations, and her days are filled with more Zoom meetings than she can count. Even at an age when most people are content to kick back and relax, Grasmick is taking on one of the biggest projects of her life.

鈥淚 would like to see this institute flourish in my lifetime. That matters to me,鈥� she says. 鈥淎 lot of people wait until they鈥檙e dead and give something, but I wanted it to meet the standards that I set.鈥�

When Grasmick was 16 years old, she was stricken with a severe case of strep throat. An allergic reaction to the penicillin doctors gave her left her virtually deaf. 鈥淚t was very traumatic for me because I was a very extroverted person, and I couldn鈥檛 understand any speech,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 remember my parents taking me to a movie thinking that would make me feel better, but it was horrible because I could only see the pictures. I could not interpret any of the sound.鈥�

Over the course of the next year, her hearing gradually returned, but the experience left her acutely aware of how the world was not designed for deaf people. She vowed to follow in the footsteps of Anne Sullivan, the renowned teacher of author and disability rights advocate Helen Keller. (When she was 21, Grasmick met Keller at a hospital in Boston. She was able to converse with Keller by placing her hands in Keller鈥檚 and using sign language.)

As an undergraduate at 撸先生, Grasmick worked at the William S. Baer School for the Deaf in Baltimore City and went on to receive a master鈥檚 degree from Gallaudet University, where she learned sign language, and her doctorate from Johns Hopkins.

Grasmick鈥檚 administrative career took her to the Chatsworth School in Reisterstown, Maryland, where she was the first principal. There, she learned some of her earliest lessons about leadership.

鈥淪ometimes people in leadership positions fail because they only select the people who mirror their own strengths,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hat you need to do is to fill in all the missing pieces. Without a knowledge of yourself, you really can鈥檛 do that. That school had both a medical component and an educational component. It was an amazing design. You won鈥檛 find any public schools that have a dentist, a psychologist, pediatricians, a speech-language pathologist, all looking at children who have the potential of disabilities in such a coordinated manner.鈥�

After working in various leadership roles in Baltimore County Public Schools, then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer tapped her to run the state鈥檚 Office for Children, Youth and Families. She later also served as the acting secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services. The legendary Willy Don, as he was lovingly known to his supporters, was another of Grasmick鈥檚 leadership role models.

鈥淕ov. Schaefer was so dedicated to the good of the people and so impatient about any failure on behalf of the citizens,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e had cabinet meetings at 7:30 in the morning. If you got there at 7:31, the door was locked. He was there before anyone else.鈥�

Regardless of their discipline, great leaders all display similar attributes, Grasmick believes.

鈥淓thics are extremely important,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen we look at some of the giant industries of this country, people haven鈥檛 failed because they didn鈥檛 have the skill sets. They were eliminated because they violated ethics. I think we take it for granted, but it shouldn鈥檛 be taken for granted.

鈥淵ou need a certain amount of resilience, because success is not a straight line. We all experience setbacks; how do you overcome those setbacks? You also need the ability to build relationships with employees. People are not homogenous. Strong leadership reflects a belief in understanding yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses? How do you choose people on a team that surrounds you? No single person has every attribute.鈥�

Those are the types of lessons working professionals will receive at the institute, which, through interdisciplinary research and scholarship, will aim to provide all levels of leaders with demonstrated and dynamic skills and strategies to grow businesses and organizations. The hope is that this work will fuel a healthier economy, positively impact the region and serve as a hub for leadership development research and programming. It鈥檚 obviously a passion project for Grasmick, who has a long record of philanthropy and is the co-chair of 撸先生鈥檚 RISE campaign.

鈥淚 hope that we can see, at a time when I think people are absolutely hungry for leadership, that we can develop the talent that does exist in people to be the kind of leader that鈥檚 going to make every dimension of our world better.鈥�