Dorchester County Council recently appointed her to fill the remaining school board term of the late Dr. Theresa Stafford, who passed away in December 2023, representing District 2.

And on Thursday, April 11, Ms. Talibah Chikwendu was sworn in by Dorchester County Clerk of the Court Amy Craig at a special Board of Education meeting.

Ms. Chikwendu is no stranger to the Dorchester County school system. Until January of this year, she taught English at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School. Throughout her years with Dorchester County Public Schools she has taught at all grade levels, served as a regular and long-term substitute, and worked in a school office. Besides C-SD, she has worked at Mace’s Lane Middle School, Maple Elementary, North Dorchester High School, North Dorchester Middle School, Choptank Elementary, Warwick Elementary and Vienna Elementary.

A Dorchester County native and a graduate of C-SD, Ms. Chikwendu has an AA in interdisciplinary studies, BFA in visual communications, MBA in project management, MS in school librarianship, and is certified in Maryland to teach secondary English, secondary business education, PreK-12 art and as a Prek-12 librarian/media specialist.

She has also taught undergraduate English and business classes for Sojourner-Douglass College and Chesapeake College. Prior to her teaching career, Ms. Chikwendu was a journalist, having served in several capacities at the Dorchester Banner and the AFRO American Newspapers, including executive editor and managing editor.

Ms. Chikwendu says her priorities are to support the staff and students of DCPS and working to improve student outcomes.