Today the Board of Education of Frederick County held a meeting to elect officers for the coming year. Brad W. Young was re-elected BOE president, and Jonathan (Jay) Mason was elected vice president.
Mr. Young has served on the Board since December 2010. The Board elected him its president from December 2010-2011, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019 and now through December 2020. A graduate of Governor Thomas Johnson High, Mr. Young earned an associate’s degree in business at Frederick Community College, a bachelor’s degree in economics at the University of Maryland, College Park and a master’s degree in business from Frostburg State University. A Certified Financial Planner professional and a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor, he also holds certificates from the Northwestern Graduate Trust School and the Cannon Financial Institute Trust School. Mr. Young is president and CEO of Maryland Financial Planners. He is an adjunct faculty member of Mount St. Mary’s University. He is also past president of the Frederick County Estate Planning Council and a member of Frederick Rotary. Mr. Young served 15 years on the Frederick Community College Board of Trustees, six years on the Board of the Maryland Association of Community College Trustees, and six years on the Board of the Association of Community College Trustees. He also served six years on the Board of Advisors for the Universities of Shady Grove. He and his wife, Cheryl, have three children and two grandchildren. Mr. Young is a registered representative of Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp., a broker/dealer (member SIPC) and registered investment advisor.
Mr. Mason was elected to the Board in November 2018 for a four-year term through December 2022. A graduate of Governor Thomas Johnson High School, he completed undergraduate studies at Shepherd University in 2008, where he was also a 3-year starter as quarterback and captain of the football team. In 2012, he completed graduate work at Frostburg University with a Master of Arts in Teaching. His work supporting FCPS students as president of Eliminating Achievement Gaps, Inc. (EAG) earned him a position on Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner’s Education Leadership Team as well as on the Superintendent’s Advisory Council. He assisted in developing the FCPS Strategic Plan to move Frederick County into the future and maintain the FCPS position as a high performing school system. He continues community work as a member of the County Executive’s Livable Frederick Steering Committee and the Frederick County Affordable Housing Council. He serves on boards of two local nonprofits: Boys and Girls Club and Habitat for Humanity, as the vice chair. He is also a board member for the Rotary Club of Frederick and a past Sergeant at Arms. Mr. Mason is employed at Verita Commercial Real Estate and has been a licensed Realtor since 2004. As a member of the Frederick County Association of Realtors, he chaired the Young Professionals Network in 2017-2018. He graduated from the Maryland Association of Realtors Leadership Academy in 2016 and is a member of the second graduating class of the Frederick County Minority Business Leaders Program. Mr. Mason spent numerous years as a high school and youth football coach at Frederick-area schools. He has assisted Heartly House in fundraising efforts several years in the annual Walk a Mile in Their Shoes and Affair of the Heart events. His wife, Beth, a longtime Frederick resident, and he are the proud parents of three children who attend Frederick County public schools.
Other BOE members are Liz Barrett, Michael Bunitsky, Dr. Lois Jarman, Joy Schaefer (through January 15) and Karen Yoho. The student member is Malachi Macon from Gov. Thomas Johnson High.