Charles A. McCullough II Esquire | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 (age 46–47) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Attorney/Arbitrator |
Charles McCullough (born 1978) is an American politician and civil rights activist. [1] [2] [3] [4] At age 16 he was the first African American directly elected student member of the Montgomery County, Maryland board of education. [3] [1] [5] As a school board member, McCullough was an activist for LGBTQIA rights. [6] [7] [8]
In 1995, McCullough became the first African American directly elected to serve as student member of the Board of Education (SMOB) of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). [9] [10] [11] McCullough received 25,923 (87%) of the 29,544 total votes cast. [12] [5] At the time of his election, MCPS comprised 117,000 students in 179 schools across 500 square miles. [13]
As SMOB, McCullough had full voting rights on all policy matters and administrative hires. [14] [15] On the school board, McCullough was an advocate for LGBTQIA rights. [4] [16] [17] He authored Resolution No. 240-1996 Human Relations Policy (Sexual Orientation and Inclusion). [18] [19] [20] For several months between its proposal and adoption, protests occurred, and the policy was the subject of debate that received national media attention. [21] [22] [23] [6] In adopting the resolution, MCPS became one of the first school systems in the United States to establish a policy protecting LGBTQIA employees from discrimination. [24] [25] [18] [6] [26] After its adoption the policy served as an example for school districts seeking to protect homosexuals from discrimination. [27] [28]
During McCullough's term he lobbied for the establishment of a SMOB scholarship, restored the MCPS middle school sports program, and defeated a proposal to implement a school bus fee. [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34]
In 1998, McCullough became the second African American to serve as president of the Pepperdine University Student Government Association. [35] In this role he led a student protest movement resulting in the undergraduate college recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day. [36] [37]
In 2009, McCullough was elected to the board of directors of the United States Postal Service Federal Credit Union (USPSFCU). [38] [39] [40] In 2014, at age 26, McCullough became chairman of the USPSFCU board of directors. [41] [42] [43] During his time as chair, the credit union implemented new online banking services and opened a new branch location. [38] [42] [44] [45] [46]
In 2017, McCullough announced his candidacy for the Arlington County Board running as a self-described progressive-independent candidate. [47] [48] [49] Following the Charlottesville attack, McCullough called for the renaming of Jefferson Davis Highway, the section of Route 1 in Arlington County. [2] [50] McCullough received the endorsement of progressive political organizations including the Arlington Green Party and Working Families Party. [51] [52]
Educated at Boston College Law School and the Lynch Graduate School of Education, McCullough is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and the United States Supreme Court. [53] [54] McCullough has served Harvard University, US General Services Administration, District of Columbia Public Schools, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and the Australian government in a variety of in a variety of legal and policy-development capacities. [1] [41] [47] McCullough was an Australian government representative at the 2012 International Education Summit on the Occasion of the G8. [55] [56]
McCullough is founder/principal of The Conglomerated McCullough Company LLC (CoMcCo). [47] CoMcCo is a business providing software engineering and organizational management services. [57]
McCullough authors Resolution No. 240-1996 amending the MCPS Human Relations Policy to include sexual orientation as a protected class.
McCullough establishes framework proposal for restoration of middle school sports
McCullough submits formal comments proposing restoration of middle school sports and opposing a school bus transit fee.
McCullough opposes $25 transportation fee proposal