On Thursday, May 15, 2025, Robert “Rob” Salley, Chair of the Baltimore City Public Schools Commissioners, will be one of three celebrity contestants for Baltimore Curriculum Project’s (BCP) “Are You Smarter Than a BCP Student?”
Mr. Salley brings his vast expertise to the event, as a former City Schools teacher, as Deputy Director for WestEd, a nonprofit focused on school and community learning, healthy development, and equity, and from extensive policy work at the federal, state, and global nonprofit level.
Q: Where did you teach in Baltimore City?
I taught at Booker T. Washington Middle School, Patterson Park Public Charter School, and New Era Academy, which closed recently. I moved to Baltimore to teach in 2002. I grew up as a military kid and lived all over but I graduated high school in Denver. Its rare that military families live in any place more than once. I’ve lived in the city of Baltimore twice in my adult life, and the City has become home for me.
Q: How did you become a City Schools Commissioner?
The Mayor appoints nine of the twelve board members, while two members are elected and one is a student commissioner. I was appointed by Mayor Scott in February 2022 following my education policy career in Washington, DC. Being a board member is quite different from being a teacher in the system. I have learned a great deal about the business of education, systemic improvement, and the many talented and dedicated employees at all levels of BCPS and our numerous advocates outside of the system–all working to improve outcomes for each and every Baltimore student.
Q: How did you get into policy and program work after leaving the classroom?
My journey to a career in policy has been non-linear. I worked at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) on the Title I program, focusing on helping disadvantaged students, particularly in states with high Native American populations. While it is important to understand the law, it is equally important to have people whose lived experience can influence policy. As a bi-racial person who has Black and Native American ancestry—this work is deeply personal, particularly in supporting children on tribal lands and collaborating with the Bureau of Indian Education to advance the Trust responsibilities for Tribes and Native youth. My grandmother is Comanche and Choctaw and grew up on the reservation in Oklahoma. She never had a formal education and had family members who attended the boarding schools, which have a deeply troubling part of American history. Knowing my family’s history and the things my parents have worked hard for my brothers and I have inspired me.
After ED, I worked in the U.S. Senate, focusing on higher education policy working to support historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and tribal colleges. I worked on infrastructure needs–like ensuring these schools have world class facilities, to ensure buildings meet ADA compliance while working on historic preservation, and access to high speed internet connectivity since many of these schools are in rural areas. All of these things ensure these schools secure tier-one research status so they have the research dollars that attract students who are our future and will produce solutions to today and tomorrow’s challenges. Notably, Howard University recently achieved tier-one research status, but no tribal colleges have yet reached this level.
Currently, I direct the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Comprehensive Center at WestEd, a federally funded initiative aimed at enhancing the capacity of BIE to serve the needs of Tribes and Native Youth across the U.S. My team supports BIE teachers and staff on issues like native language preservation, culture relevant curriculum and assessments, and supporting students on future readiness post high school!
Q: As a Chair of the City Schools Board, what are you celebrating right now in public education in Baltimore, and what are the challenges as you look post pandemic?
We have been very fortunate to have had the same superintendent, Dr. Sonja Santelises, for nine years, with her tenure extending through 2026, serving a total of ten years in this role, which is quite rare in public education. Santelises’s leadership has allowed Baltimore to thrive, particularly in promoting the community schools model and making numerous academic gains.
Additionally, we have gained significant public confidence in our efforts to build a world-class education system that is responsive to the needs of our young people in Baltimore. We have seen improved coherence and alignment between the City of Baltimore and Baltimore City Public Schools. The Mayor, the City Council, and our partners at the state and MSDE have recognized an opportunity for collaboration, allowing us to focus on key areas of need and continuously make progress for our kids.
Post-pandemic, our Board is concentrating on ensuring that more of our young people have access to the resources they need to achieve at high levels. We are working with our community partners to better understand where we are and where we can go together. We can ensure that our families and students feel supported.
Q: What role do you believe BCP, especially with its neighborhood conversion school model, plays in the revitalization of Baltimore?
We have an impressive portfolio of schools that provides families with the opportunity to choose high-quality educational options for their children. I appreciate the efforts of BCP for their contributions to the ecosystem that allows both traditional and charter schools to serve our families and communities in service of educating all of our children.
Q: As a former teacher, what are you most excited about as a BCP celebrity panelist for the “Are You Smarter?” Gala
I am both excited and nervous. One of the most beautiful aspects of my career that I take immense pride and honor is serving as the chair of the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners. Even more important, however, is my 20 years of experience as an educator. It’s rewarding to see the people I once taught with or others grow and take on leadership roles in the city and across Maryland, whether they’re leading or starting new schools or engaging in community work.
While I feel proud of my journey, I am also extremely nervous about competing against fifth and eighth graders. I was a social studies teacher and I love studying history and economics! It will be interesting to compare the knowledge I have about the world with what young people know and experience as learners in our world today.
Thank you, Commissioner Salley, for sharing your time, talent, and resources with BCP!
Read the Q&A with Commissioner Salley’s fellow celebrity panelists:
Dr. Darrell Gray, II, President and CEO of Wellpoint of Maryland