The Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), the union representing 75,000 educators, bestowed its rare Friend of Education honor on Delegate Maggie McIntosh (D-43) for her lifetime of outstanding work on behalf of Maryland students and public education.
MSEA established the Friend of Education Award in 1997 to give recognition to individuals and/or organizations that strongly support MSEA’s goal to ensure that every public school student in Maryland has the opportunity to receive a high quality education.
McIntosh, who is retiring this year after serving in the House of Delegates since 1992, is a former Baltimore City teacher. For the past 20 years, in addition to working professionally for people and organizations that benefit social justice, the environment, and human needs, she has represented the 43rd district in the General Assembly. During her tenure there she unwaveringly supported students and educators and led on policy and legislation to fundamentally improve public education, including most recently the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and the Built to Learn Act.
A trailblazer, McIntosh was the first woman to serve as House Majority Leader, the first woman to chair the Environmental Matters Committee, the first woman to chair the Appropriations Committee, and the first openly LGBTQ member of the Maryland General Assembly. She began her professional career as an art teacher in Baltimore City Schools.
“Delegate McIntosh has built an incredible legacy based on the legislation that she’s passed, the glass ceilings that she’s broken, and the Marylanders whom she’s lifted up. Students and educators could always count on Delegate Maggie McIntosh to understand their needs and to fight for them with a tremendous level of passion and skill,” said MSEA President Cheryl Bost. “Our public schools and all Marylanders are the beneficiaries of her work, advocacy, and commitment.”
MSEA presented the award to McIntosh on Saturday, October 21 during the MSEA Representative Assembly in Ocean City, Maryland.