Today’s installment features Kimberly A. Statham, the former chief academic officer for Howard County Schools who resigned following allegations of a grade changing scandal involving her daughter.

Statham, 49, has resurfaced as deputy superintendent of teaching and learning for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia.

Statham's career as Howard County's chief academic officer ended after allegations that she intimidated school staff members at Centennial High School to obtain preferential treatment for her daughter, who was a student there. She resigned in 2004 and eventually was exonerated by the Howard County Board of Education. Statham was a consultant for the Howard County school system the next year.

During that period, Statham, who is African-American, was the victim of an apparent hate crime when someone used a chemical to burn a cross into the front lawn of her Ellicott City home.

Deborah A. Gist, state superintendent of education for the District of Columbia, said she was aware of the events that preceded Statham’s departure from Howard County.

 “We discussed it really briefly,” Gist said. “It seems clear that it was an unfortunate situation, and that Kimberly had done the right thing, and that she did not do anything that would concern me at all.”

Prior to her return to the Beltway, Statham had been working in the Oakland (Calif.) Unified School District. In fact, Statham was working as the interim chief executive officer for the 41,000-student system, when she resigned. She held that position for the final five-months of her 28-month stint.

Statham was instrumental in advancing the performance of Oakland's public school students, according to officials there.

She is credited with requiring all students to take the PSATs. In addition, officials say that the number of Oakland students accepted to the California state college system nearly doubled.

For more, check out today’s article.

Statham, who has never made herself available for an interview with me on numerous occasions during the past two years, was surprisingly not available for comment for today's story.