A Crofton resident who says she wants to give parents a stronger voice on issues like book bans and diversity, equity and inclusion is running to be the District 7 representative on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education.

Dawn Pulliam, originally from Prince George’s County, spent 23 years working with the University of Maryland’s school of public policy as a program director before transitioning to the private sector and working at Lockheed Martin. Currently, she’s a senior program manager for the Acquisition Innovation Research Center where she’s supporting the Department of Defense on a new pilot program that aims to create a talent pipeline for civilians.

Pulliam, 52, will challenge Jeremy York, an Edgewater resident and Marine veteran, in the November election. The seat is currently held by Michelle Corkadel who announced earlier this year she would not seek reelection.

A graduate of the University of Maryland, Pulliam said she wants to improve student outcomes and believes her experience makes her perfectly suited to do that.

“To fill this role I believe a candidate needs to understand education, how it works. They also need to understand contracting and budgeting and they need to be able to work across the aisle,” she said. “I can do all three.”

Pulliam, a product of a public school education and the child of a single parent, doesn’t have children of her own, but has watched several nieces and nephews navigate Anne Arundel County Schools, she said.

“Over the past 20 years, I’ve had cousins, nephews, and nieces successfully complete their education in the Anne Arundel County Public School system, so I believe in it a great deal,” she said. “I’m vested.”

Pulliam said another priority for her, if elected, is to help bring parents back into the fold to help create a stronger bond between home and school.

She said there is greater distance between parents and teachers and that the gap grows wider when so many decisions are made without parental consult.

“Parents are the ultimate caregivers for their children and nothing or anybody takes priority over that,” she said. “But to give or teach children something that the parents don’t find appropriate, then we have to take a step back.”

She pointed to topics that have been gaining traction in the county such as a book ban in schools, tools like diversity, equity and inclusion, and the idea of critical race theory being used in the classroom.

“I believe parents know what’s appropriate for their children, and we have cut them out over time,” said Pulliam.

In the community, Pulliam works with parents to help them prepare their children for college by identifying scholarships, assisting with application preparation, and finding internships.

Overall, Pulliam believes that while a lot of funding is going toward education in the state and county, more can be done to help student achievement.

She said she looks forward to meeting parents, community members and teachers to learn more about their experiences and concerns with the education system.

“Half of our tax dollars are being spent on [education] whether you have children or not,” she said. “Poverty and public education and equality are directly aligned with crime and business has a stake in this, too. It is important that we get this right, and I think we can do it.”

Earlier this year, the board elected Robert Silkworth, of District 2, as president. The new vice president is Corine Frank, of District 3. Former president Joanna Bach Tobin has announced she will run again to represent District 6.

Frank, Corkadel, and Melissa Ellis, of District 4 who began her six-year term on December 2018, have chosen to not seek reelection. Board members from Districts 1, 2, 5 and 6 will seek reelection in November.

All seven board seats are up for election on Nov. 5.