ANNAPOLIS — The Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency is pleased to announce that Portia McConnell has joined the Agency as its new Director of Children’s Services. In that capacity McConnell will oversee the Early Head Start, Head Start and Extended Child Care programs, which serve over 400 Anne Arundel County families each year.
“We are fortunate to have someone with Ms. McConnell’s knowledge, experience, insight, and commitment to early childhood education spearheading our Children’s Services Department,” said Gretchen Huntley, Community Action CEO. “Please join us in welcoming Portia to the Agency and the Anne Arundel County community.”
Leslie Stanton, President of Community Action’s Board of Directors, observed, “The Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency, believes that Ms. McConnell is the right person to head its Children Services Department. As the head of Children Services, she is the director of Head Start. Ms. McConnell has the perfect balance of knowledge and personality to be extremely successful in her new job capacity. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have landed her.”
McConnell began her career in 1996 as a Head Teacher with the Maryland Rural Development Corporation’s Head Start program. After five years with MRDC, she took a position as Education Coordinator with Catholic Charities Head Start in Baltimore where worked for ten years. She then joined St. Vincent de Paul of Maryland’s Head Start as Program Director.
After earning her bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University with a concentration in Psychology, she received a Master’s degree in Education from College of Notre Dame of Maryland, and an associate’s degree in Ministry from Dominion Leadership University.
McConnell and her husband live in Harford County with their three children.