Three finalists to succeed Donna Hanlin as Wicomico County Schools Superintendent have been announced by the Board of Education.

Over the next week, school board members will continue to gather community input on the contenders and factor that feedback in their ultimate hiring decision.

Two of the candidates are already senior leaders within the county schools system; the third is a leader in the Baltimore County schools system.

Wicomico school board Chairman Gene Malone listed the finalists:

• Frederick L. Briggs, Chief Academic Officer, Wicomico County Public Schools.

Briggs has served as the school system’s Chief Academic Officer since 2017, and prior to that was the principal of James M. Bennett High, Mardela Middle and High, and Bennett Middle. He has also been an assistant principal, dean of students, math teacher and coach, all at Wicomico High.

• Eric L. Minus, Executive Director, Secondary Schools, Baltimore County Public Schools.

Minus was previously the BCPS Executive Director of Research and Data Analytics. He served in executive leadership positions in Montgomery County Public Schools and Howard County Public Schools. He has served as a middle and high school principal and began his education career as a secondary science teacher in Newport News, Va., Public Schools.

• Micah C. Stauffer, Chief Finance and Operations Officer, Wicomico County Public Schools.

Stauffer has served as the school system’s Chief Finance and Operations Officer since 2019, and prior to that was the Director of Secondary Education. He has served as principal of Parkside High and Mardela Middle and High, and assistant principal of Mardela Middle and High and Wicomico Middle. He taught science and coached at Parkside High.

This week, each finalist was scheduled to meet with Malone for a recorded interview that will be posted, along with a short bio, for the community to review.

Input on the three finalists will be taken through a survey through Thursday, May 12.

Information on the finalists for Wicomico Superintendent of Schools will be posted at wcboe.org/finalists.

The videos and bios will be added today, May 5, along with the survey link. The survey will remain open through Thursday.

The Maryland Association of Boards of Education will collect the survey input and provide all input to the Board of Education, whose members are charged with selecting the next Superintendent of Schools.

Malone said it’s a responsibility the board members take seriously.

“The search for the next Superintendent of Wicomico County Public Schools is one of the top priorities for this board, because our school system must continue to have an outstanding leader,” Malone said. “We are pleased with the process so far and we’re excited to announce these three well-qualified finalists.

“We’re looking forward to hearing how each candidate answers the three questions in the video interview, and we’re glad to provide the entire community with the chance to watch the interviews and give input through a survey,” Malone said. 

The Wicomico school board’s goal is to vote to appoint the new Wicomico Superintendent of Schools by late May or early June. The new superintendent would begin work July 1.

For the superintendent search, the Board of Education contracted with Maryland Association of Boards of Education’s Superintendent Search Service for its expertise. MABE is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to serving and supporting boards of education in Maryland.

With MABE’s guidance, Wicomico Schools surveyed the community earlier this year for initial input that helped shape the search for a new superintendent.

Hanlin announced in November that she would retire on June 30. A Salisbury native and longtime Wicomico schools teacher and administrator, she has served six years as superintendent.

Frederick L. Briggs

Frederick L. Briggs is a graduate and 23-year career-long employee of Wicomico County Public Schools, serving the students, parents, staff, and community as a teacher, athletic coach, administrator, and currently the Chief Academic Officer.

After graduating from Parkside High, he attended Salisbury State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics.

He went on to earn his master’s of Education in School Administration and his doctor of Education in Contemporary Curriculum Theory and Instruction: Literacy from Salisbury University.

He began his career with Wicomico County, teaching mathematics at Wicomico High before serving as the school’s Dean of Students and Assistant Principal.

Following his time at Wi-Hi, he served as Principal at Bennett Middle, Mardela Middle and High, and James M. Bennett High. He has been serving as the district’s Chief Academic Officer for the past five years.

Briggs is an instructional leader focused on assisting all students in achieving academic success while preparing them to reach their maximum potential. He currently leads the Division of Instruction, focusing on continuous improvement in all areas while maintaining the priority of effective and innovative programming for teaching and learning.

Under his leadership, changes to enhance the delivery of services for English Language Learners, the expansion of Pre-Kindergarten opportunities for the youngest students, and the creation of Wicomico’s first signature school, Project Lead the Way-Gateway, have been accomplished.

Briggs has focused on strategic communication with students, parents, staff and community members, while serving in his various capacities. He demonstrates this commitment by having an open-door policy, valuing both praises and concerns, seeking out multiple perspectives, and taking appropriate action to make positive changes.

He can frequently be found at both internal and external events such as the African American symposium, the Maryland Civics and Law Academy, the Youth Environmental Action Summit, arts integration celebrations, United Way events, Special Olympics competitions, high school sports contests, fine arts performances, and many more.

Over the last several years, Briggs has been instrumental in navigating the many complexities of the pandemic and virtual learning, including coordinating the purchase of appropriate technology to support students and staff, achieving the long-sought-after goal of a laptop for every student. 

He also guided the submission of many grants bringing extra resources into schools, including a million-dollar innovation grant to create technology-enhanced classrooms to accommodate distance learning.

He lives in Salisbury with his wife, a Wicomico County teacher, and two children, who attend Wicomico County Public Schools.

Eric L. Minus

 Eric L. Minus is an award-winning educator whose expansive career in the field of education, leadership, professional development, and coaching has spanned over 25 years.

Minus brings the highest intensity of hard work and determination, along with an unrelenting commitment to professionalism and excellence. As a result, he is known as a strong and dynamic educational leader, with the ability to bring innovative and visionary leadership to an organization.

Equipped with a combination of passion and a wide range of knowledge, Minus launched his career as a middle school science teacher in 1995 in Newport News, Va., and later returned to Montgomery County in Maryland, where he accepted the opportunity as a high school Biology and Physics teacher at his alma mater, Montgomery Blair High School.

Minus was later promoted as an Assistant Principal at White Oak Middle School in Montgomery County, where he demonstrated drive and capacity for spearheading numerous school improvement activities, mentor programs, and teacher support initiatives throughout his tenure.

In 2004, Minus was promoted to lead one of the most diverse and impacted middle schools in the system in the height of the No Child Left Behind Act, 2001.

As Principal of Francis Scott Key Middle School, Minus brought many successes to the school. Success included increasing the achievement of students in the academic area of mathematics by 30 percentage points in one year; boosting the total student enrollment rate; successfully implementing a Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports system where by yielding a 50 percent decrease in the school’s suspension rate; increasing parent attendance and participation to PTSA meetings by 85percent; and planning, designing, and implementing the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program at the middle and high school levels.

These accomplishments earned Minus the 2010 Montgomery County Public Schools Principal of the Year Award as well as the 2010 Washington Post Distinguished Educator Award.

Minus was later promoted to serve as the Principal of John F. Kennedy High School. Under his direction, the school strengthened and expanded its signature program called the Leadership Training Institute, special education programs, various academies, as well as the International Baccalaureate program.

In 2013, Minus joined the Howard County Public School System as the Administrative Director, Middle Schools. In this role, Minus collaborated with the Board of Education, provided leadership and oversight in the organization and administration of the 20 middle schools in the system, and provided leadership to school principals in all matters related to successful instructional programs, school organization and school improvement.

With an opportunity to return home to Montgomery County, Minus accepted the opportunity to serve as Director, Secondary Schools in the Office of School Support and Improvement in the Montgomery County Public School System where he oversaw a cadre of middle schools across the county, supervised, evaluated, and coached principals, and led a host of district initiatives related to literacy, and school improvement.

In 2020, Minus joined the Baltimore County Public School System as Executive Director, Research and Data Analytics. In this capacity, Minus expertly led a team of 24 researchers, educators, and data analysts to ensure the school system’s strategic plan was actualized through the use of multiple data platforms, building capacity of system stakeholders, and presenting school system data.

Currently, Minus serves as Executive Director of Secondary Schools in BCPS. In this role, he provides leadership and supervision to school principals in all matters related to successful instructional programs, school organization, and school improvement.

Minus and his wife have two children.

Micah C. Stauffer

Micah Stauffer has served Wicomico County students, families, staff, and the community for more than 20 years.

As a teacher, coach, and educational leader, he strongly believes that all students have value and ability, and the priority of a school system should always be to support every individual student in achieving success.

He uses his knowledge and experience to support students and staff, placing a heavy emphasis on collaboration, communication, school climate, and organizational culture.

Collaborative problem solving is a priority for, as he recognizes that the success of a school system depends on educators, parents, community members, and elected officials all working together.

Stauffer was first hired by Wicomico County Public Schools as a substitute teacher, and in 1998 began teaching science at Parkside High School, where he also coached baseball and golf.

He served as an Assistant Principal at Wicomico Middle School and Mardela Middle and High School.

As Principal of Mardela Middle and High School and Parkside High School, Stauffer worked to ensure that all students receive opportunities to succeed at the highest levels.

During his tenure as Director of Secondary Education, he provided instructional and organizational leadership to all middle and high schools. He worked to expand opportunities for Career and Technology Education programs, virtual learning pathways, and high school dual enrollment coursework in partnership with institutions of higher learning.

Stauffer currently serves as the Chief Finance and Operations Officer, where he has expanded his breadth of knowledge to all aspects of the school system by leading the areas of finance, human resources, employee relations, policy review and development, food and nutrition services, planning and construction, facilities, maintenance, operations and energy.

Stauffer has led the Division of Business and Operations to implement practices and technology to ensure school environments are safe and healthy, as well as ensure that budget development is a transparent process.

Stauffer also serves on the School Building Commission and was appointed by the Wicomico County Board of Education and the Wicomico County Council to oversee the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future in Wicomico County.

This landmark legislation provides for the expansion of early childhood education, college and career readiness, resources to ensure student success, the development of teachers and leaders, and governance and accountability.

Stauffer is a 1991 graduate of Wicomico High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, his master’s degree from Salisbury University and his doctoral degree in Educational Leadership/District Administration from Wilmington University.

A lifelong resident of Wicomico County, he and his wife reside in Salisbury with their daughter, who attends James M. Bennett.

Their son, a Bennett graduate, received an appointment to the United States Military Academy, West Point, where he currently attends.