Mary Podmostko provides staff support to the National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD-Y) and the National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition. The goal of NCWD-Y is to ensure that youth with disabilities are provided full access to high quality services in integrated settings in order to maximize their opportunities for employment and independent living by building the capacity of the nation’s workforce development system and its workers. The National Alliance for Secondary Education and Transition, a coalition of workforce development organizations, educators, families, and others to promote high quality and effective education and transition services by articulating standards that will guide policy and practice. Previously, Ms. Podmostko facilitated electronic and face-to-face meetings and wrote the final report for the Pacific Regional Advisory Committee for Educational Needs Assessment. She also staffed the School Leadership for the 21st Century Initiative, the goals of where were to raise public consciousness about the national crisis in school leadership and to spark multi-sector efforts to develop and implement policies and practices to create a new general of education leaders.
Prior to joining the Institute for Educational Leadership staff, Ms. Podmostko was Director of the Leadership Education and Community Development Center at Charles County Community College. She had previously served as the Director of the Job Training Network and the Southern Maryland Career Connections Partnership, both housed at the college.
For ten years Ms. Podmostko served as Director of Education for the Metropolitan Washington Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. While at ABC, she chaired the committee that developed a national certification program for construction educators. Her public service has included appointments to the Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council and two Local Advisory Councils for Career and Technology Education.
Ms. Podmostko is currently working on a doctorate at the Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD) at The George Washington University, where she completed a master’s degree in collaborative vocational evaluation. Her undergraduate degree was awarded by Smith College. In fall 2001, she was an adjunct professor in the Department of Teacher Preparation and Special Education at GSEHD.
