Deborah S. Phelps, executive director of The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., has been named an Influential Marylander by The Daily Record.

The newspaper named 57 individuals to its 2018 list, divided into categories of civic leadership, communication, education, finance, freestyle, general business, healthcare, law, philanthropy, real estate, and technology. Phelps was among four individuals honored for their civic leadership.

Phelps and the other 56 honorees will be celebrated at an awards reception and dinner to be held on Thursday, March 22, at The Grand Lodge of Maryland in Cockeysville.

With nearly four decades experience in education, Phelps has been serving as the executive director of The Education Foundation since 2012. Under her leadership, the foundation has experienced impressive growth. From 2010 to 2018, the foundation has provided schools and offices with more than $443,000 in grant awards. Since 2004, the foundation has awarded more than 200 scholarships totaling nearly $400,000. In addition, the foundation leads annual efforts to secure needed school supplies for students and is engaged in several partnerships with area businesses and institutions to enrich educational experiences for students.

In her profile in The Daily Record, Phelps is quoted as saying, “To be able to touch the lives of the next generation…to listen to their journey and capture the essence of their growth and development brings pride to me as a mother, grandmother, educator, and now as an executive director.”

Phelps, a Baltimore City resident, has received numerous honors including being named a BCPS Teacher of the Year Finalist, two-time Maryland Family & Consumer Science Teacher of the Year, and Baltimore County’s Baby Boomer of the Year. She also has received the Boys and Girls Club’s Champion of Youth Award, a Brava Award from SmartCEO, and was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women from The Daily Record in 2014.

Phelps earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Fairmont State College and a master’s degree in education management and supervision from Loyola College (now Loyola University Maryland).