Business Executive and School Board Alum Joseph Goetz Named Executive Director of Statewide Public Education Group MABE

ANNAPOLIS, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Board of Directors of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE) today announced Joseph (“Joe”) Goetz has been named its new Executive Director. Goetz will begin his role on April 27 with MABE, the active statewide association which represents all 24 public school systems throughout Maryland.

Goetz’s broad past experience in both private-sector management and school board governance, as well as his past presidency of MABE, represent an ideal combination, noted MABE President Diana Hawley, who also serves on the Board of Education of Cecil County. Hawley emphasized the strength of Goetz’s team-building approach and experience in senior leadership roles leading cross-functional teams.

“Having worked with Joe during MABE efforts for several years, I can say without a doubt his leadership style and consensus-building abilities are real strengths that will surely benefit the entire MABE team,” Hawley said. “He is known for working collaboratively with education influencers and policymakers, while helping advance effective, non-partisan local board governance solutions. These savvy abilities in a challenging climate translate into great promise for MABE’s upcoming years.”

Goetz has been active in the public education realm and in community circles for many years. He served on the Kent County Public Schools Board of Education for eight years (first as an elected Board Member and then as Board President from 2019-2024), and was an active member of MABE for close to a decade, serving as MABE President in 2023. He chaired MABE’s Ad Hoc Committee for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, served on the association’s Budget Committee, and was a Trustee of MABE’s Group Insurance Pool.

Goetz also brings to the table over two decades’ private-sector experience in senior leadership roles, having most recently overseen complex operations, large budgets, and long-term partnerships with diverse stakeholders in the foodservice and product sales industry. He has been active with the Kent County Chamber of Commerce for several years, having served as an active Board Member and, most recently, as the Chamber’s President in 2025.

He earned his BS from Pennsylvania’s Delaware Valley University. He and his wife, Liza, live in Chestertown, Maryland. Their two grown children, both graduates of Kent County Public Schools, live in Kent County.

In keeping with MABE’s mission, Goetz intends to focus on growing MABE’s existing advocacy efforts supporting quality public education; providing practical, relevant professional learning opportunities for membership; communicating the association’s value to education stakeholders; and meeting expectations overall that members have of MABE to meet their evolving needs.

He also will be working with the MABE team on cost-effective health insurance solutions for school districts to help control high health care expenses, and intends to spend a good portion of time in school board members’ counties.

“MABE has played a central role in my public service journey, making me genuinely excited to help lead the association into its next chapter,” Goetz noted. “By serving MABE member school systems as well as our team is able, we help further MABE’s collective vision of serving as a champion for excellence in public education for all Maryland students. This vision, coupled with school board members’ dedicated efforts throughout our state, truly affect so many students, their families, and their communities. I’m so honored to be a part of their collective efforts.”

MABE launched its search for its new Executive Director in January, and retained Bolton Talent Search Group to assist in its search.

About MABE:

Founded in 1957, The Maryland Association of Boards of Education is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to serving and supporting boards of education in Maryland. MABE is a leading advocate for public education in the state. All 24 Maryland boards of education are members of MABE.