Congratulations to MCEE’s New Officers and Board Member

At its June board meeting, the MCEE Board of Trustees elected new officers and installed a new member on the Board. The elevation of these dedicated community leaders will position MCEE to continue its growth as an important resource for educators as they equip their students to understand—and make sound decisions about—personal finance and economics.

Chairman: Mark Ring, a partner in Jacob William Advisory and Wealth Advisor, was elected president of the Board. Mark joined the MCEE board in 2018. He also sits on the board of the Baltimore Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

As he assumes his role, Mark notes, "I'm eager to lead MCEE as it fulfills the vision of its newly adopted Strategic Plan—to ensure that Maryland students develop the financial skills to shape their futures and achieve lasting economic well-being. Our work with educators results in confident, informed students who are able to make sound financial decisions and achieve their personal goals. This is especially important now as our economy is getting harder and more complicated to navigate and understand. MCEE is committed to making sure that students are prepared for economic success.”

Vice Chairman: Keith O'Neil was elected Co-Chairman of the Board. He is President/CEO of Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union and is active in the Howard County nonprofit community, including as a board member of SHRM Howard County and president of the Thunder Soccer Club.

Board Member: Newly elected board member Amy Basta is Chief Marketing Officer at SECU Credit Union and a board member of the SECU MD Foundation.

Retiring board members: MCEE is grateful for the service of retiring officers and board members. Thank you to Michelle Coates, immediate past president, for her leadership as chair for the past two years and for her long-time service on the MCEE board. We’re also appreciative of retiring Trustee Bob Barclay’s board service.

In informative presentations and workshops—as well as during breaks and at lunch, and in the hallways between meeting rooms—150 Maryland educators shared best practices for teaching personal finance and economics and gained insight during MCEE’s Annual Educator Summit in June. The day-long event at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve in Hanover, MD, sponsored by SECU and others, featured 16 sessions and plenty of opportunities for teachers, school administrators, and district leaders to collaborate in order to enhance their classroom instruction and guide engaging student activities.

Sessions at the Summit ranged from those geared towards elementary students, such as How to Help Students Start Saving and How to Use Bluey to Teach Economics, to topics for older students, including understanding problems associated with gambling and identifying scams and frauds. Other sessions introduced children's literature connected to economics and personal finance concepts, tips for teaching students about saving and managing credit, and empowering women in economics. One session provided insight into coordinating MCEE’s Stock Market Game™ for student competitions, and students provided their perspective on financial education in another session.

Through MCEE’s partnership with the Maryland Council for the Social Studies, additional sessions focused on the economic history of the transatlantic slave trade and the economics of housing practices like redlining and blockbusting. 

Presentations at the Summit were led by MCEE staff,  classroom teachers, students, and finance professionals from MCEE partners, including the United States Secret Service, First Financial Federal Credit Union, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the Credit Union Foundation of MD/DC, APGFCU, the Maryland Center for Problem Gambling, and the Virginia Council on Economic Education. Educators who facilitated sessions were from school districts in Howard, Wicomico, Calvert, and Frederick counties.

This year’s Summit was oversubscribed with more registrants than any Summit in recent memory. And the response from educators was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Some of them said:

- Very engaging and wonderful resources. Very helpful—great ideas to encourage student saving.”

- “I took away great ideas from the instructor and other teachers on how to incorporate economics in my classroom.”

- “Super interesting, informational, and full of exemplary teaching methods.”

- “I really appreciate having materials that are engaging and hands-on when teaching concepts in economics.”

- “I enjoyed learning about the new resources, and I feel like they can immediately be implemented in my classroom.”

- “Excellent resources and explanation… real lessons were shared and demonstrated on how to apply learning.”

- “Fellow teachers shared great ideas for incorporating principles into class.”

“We’ve purposely created a community of educators who share experiences and help each other,” noted MCEE Executive Director Julie Weaver. “The ideas they hear and the connections they make with other educators at the Summit impact their teaching practices all year as they integrate personal finance and economics into their curriculum and student activities.”

More than 160 students from 42 elementary, middle, and high schools across Maryland are winners of statewide competitions in personal finance and economics coordinated by the Maryland Council of Economics Education (MCEE) during the 2024-2025 school year. The winners were honored at an awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 15, 2025 at Towson University.

A list of all winners is available here.

A record number of students participated in this year’s MCEE ; more than 20,000 students from 17 Maryland counties competed on teams or as individuals. Awards were presented to winners in:

• Stock Market Game™ (SMG): A semester- or year-long simulation challenging teams to create and manage an imaginary $100,000 portfolio as they learn about the stock market and economic systems.

• InvestWrite Essay Competition: A national writing competition that reinforces the economic and financial education concepts learned in the Stock Market Game™. 

• Maryland Personal Finance Challenge: An academic competition for high school teams featuring case studies and quiz rounds about personal finance concepts. The Challenge is sponsored by M&T, WesBanco, State Farm, Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union, First Financial Federal Credit Union, and Towson University. 

• Maryland Economics Challenge: A one-day event where teams of high school students demonstrate their knowledge of micro and macroeconomic principles and the world economy. The Economics Challenge is supported by Johns Hopkins Federal Credit Union and Howard County Education Credit Union.

• A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words Poster Competition: K-8 students demonstrate their understanding of economic and personal finance concepts through original art. 

• Financial Education Month Poetry Contest: Students and educators create original poems about personal finance topics. 

These competitions are coordinated and hosted by the Maryland Council on Economic Education, the statewide nonprofit working with educators to ensure that Maryland's children graduate from high school with the economic and financial knowledge and decision-making skills they need to succeed as adults. In addition to student competitions. MCEE offers professional development opportunities for Maryland K-12 educators and curates lesson plans incorporating personal finance and economic concepts into any subject and for all grades. MCEE supports more than 2,250 teachers each year who reach over 200,000 Maryland students.

“The winning students—and their teachers—know the importance of understanding personal finance and economics, “said MCEE Executive Director Julie Weaver.  “MCEE is proud to honor the achievements of these hard-working students and the dedication of their teachers for providing the opportunity to learn these critical concepts.”

SECU is the title sponsor of MCEE’s annual Educator Summit in June, and we are grateful for the credit union’s ongoing and unwavering support.

SECU (pronounced "see-Q") was founded in October 1951 in Baltimore as the State Employees Credit Union of Maryland. Now, as Maryland’s largest state-chartered credit union, SECU operates as a full-service financial institution with branches throughout Maryland offering a complete portfolio of personal and business banking services including investment and planning by way of SECU Financial Partners. 

SECU’s nonprofit arm, the SECU MD Foundation aims to create a stronger Maryland by empowering access to education, supporting health and wellness, and serving as a catalyst for community development through its annual scholarship program, community impact grants, annual Kindness campaign and other initiatives and partnerships.

SECU has over 250,000 members via 21 Financial Centers across the state.

We spoke with Amy Basta, SECU’s SVP, Chief Marketing Officer, about why supporting financial education in Maryland is so important.

How does supporting MCEE align with SECU’s mission and goals?

We operate with the core credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” This ethos drives our commitment to being a trusted resource for financial education, wellness, and helping individuals reach their goals. We believe that building strong financial habits starts early—and that a solid foundation is essential to long-term financial well-being.

How does supporting MCEE align with SECU’s mission and goals?

We operate with the core credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” This ethos drives our commitment to being a trusted resource for financial education, wellness, and helping individuals reach their goals. We believe that building strong financial habits starts early—and that a solid foundation is essential to long-term financial well-being.

How does supporting MCEE align with SECU’s mission and goals?

We operate with the core credit union philosophy of “people helping people.” This ethos drives our commitment to being a trusted resource for financial education, wellness, and helping individuals reach their goals. We believe that building strong financial habits starts early—and that a solid foundation is essential to long-term financial well-being.

How does supporting MCEE help you fulfill that commitment?

SECU supports MCEE as a natural extension of its existing work to support Marylanders in their journeys to financial wellness, at every age and every stage of life. SECU recognizes that there is a gap that exists in our current education landscape, and supports MCEE’s work to make holistic financial literacy programming a key component of K-12 education statewide.

Our financial wellness strategy includes a range of initiatives—from supporting workshops on University System of Maryland campuses, to hosting gamified financial literacy events in local elementary schools, and launching our partnership with the Greenlight app and debit card for youth. Supporting MCEE allows us to deepen our impact alongside an organization equally dedicated to empowering students and educators with essential financial knowledge both in and out of the classroom.

How do SECU members benefit from your financial education initiatives and support?

Talking about money can be difficult, and for many adults, not having a formal financial education themselves, teaching healthy habits to their children and the next generation can be daunting! Supporting MCEE is one way we can help bridge that gap – providing the resources and interactive tools and programs to engage with young adults, but also give parents, teachers and educators the means to have these conversations early and often.

How does SECU connect with MCEE and its programs?

SECU is proud to sponsor the 2025 SECU Maryland Financial and Economic Educator Summit because we believe that supporting educators is key to fostering financially confident communities. This event equips Maryland teachers with the tools and resources needed to bring personal finance and economics into the classroom. 

Beyond the Summit, SECU partners with MCEE year-round to advance financial wellness through initiatives like the Before the Bell advocacy breakfast, Board support, sponsoring the Financial Education and Capability Awards, and supporting other programs that impact teachers and students throughout Maryland—all of which reflect our shared commitment to empowering the next generation of financially healthy Marylanders.

Find the SECU website at https://www.secumd.org/

Pablo Picasso said, “Drawing at its best is not what your eyes see but what our mind understands.”

Over the past few months, hundreds of elementary and middle Maryland schoolchildren have used their own creative drawings to show their understanding of finance and economics in MCEE’s Annual Poster Contest. And on March 27, 2025, the contest winners were honored at a special ceremony in Annapolis hosted by Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman.

Comptroller Lierman greeted school contest winners and their families from around the state in the lobby of the Louis L. Goldstein Treasury Building. Each of the 20 winning posters was on display—and will remain available for public viewing through April. 

In her remarks to the students, the Comptroller noted, “Financial education is such an important part of any real education. Learning from the earliest age what it means to just think of the concepts of money and saving is such an important part of building a successful life. These are important concepts for all of us to understand... We are so proud of the work that all of you students have done. Congratulations on your incredibly thoughtful and creative posters. It's so impressive.”

The Comptroller also offered words to the winners’ parents: “You are empowering your kids to succeed by exposing them to this education at the earliest age.”

The student artwork on display shows the winner’s knowledge of a wide range of personal finance economic concepts, including savings, investing, opportunity costs, goods and services, taxes, philanthropy, scarcity, production, and income.

The winning posters are on display through April at the Goldstein Treasury Building, 80 Calvert Street in Annapolis. To see photos from the reception, click here.

Click here to see a list of all the 2025 Poster Contest winners.

In partnership with the CASH Campaign of Maryland and the Maryland State Department of Education, the Maryland Council on Economic Education presented the 12th annual Maryland Financial Education and Capability Awards on March 10, 2025. Three public school teachers who creatively integrate financial education into their classrooms were honored, as were nonprofit organizations and community advocates. 

The award-winning teachers were:

• Elementary School Teacher Award: 

Michelle Classon, Cromwell Valley Elementary Magnet School in Baltimore County for hosting Financial Friday, where she engages her students and families in understanding the global economy and encourages them to research investment options.

• Middle School Teacher Award: 

Dr. Amanda Price, Northern Middle School in Calvert County for integrating financial education into her science classes and after-school programs, and encouraging students to develop elevator pitches with financial components in a competition judged by parents and staff members.

• High School Teacher Award: 

Jeeva Ashok, Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince George’s County for innovative teaching methods in personal finance and for helping students relate financial concepts and skills to real-life scenarios.

The Maryland Financial Education and Capability Awards recognize the dedication and success of teachers, community champions and organizations who promote the importance of financial education to the lives of Marylanders. Other 2025 Maryland Financial Education and Capability Award winners were:

• Community Champion: Janet Currie, President, Greater Baltimore, Bank of America

• Outstanding Organization: Maryland Center for Collegiate Financial Wellness (MCCFW)

• Sheldon K. Caplis Award for Outstanding Corporate Partner: Misty Allen, VP of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Comcast’s Beltway Region 

Awards were presented May 10 at a reception at the Maryland Inn in Annapolis. The Maryland General Assembly honored the winners that evening during their Session in the State House. Each winner received $1,000, made possible by the Woodside Foundation and the Maryland Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals (MSATP). Award winners were selected by a panel of judges from dozens of nominations from around the state.

The Maryland Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals (MSATP) provides educational programs, timely resources, and advocacy on important issues. And while these benefits are intended for finance professionals, it’s also Maryland’s educators and students that benefit from MSATP’s mission.

“We believe in the importance of financial literacy and economic education, especially for students and educators,” says MSATP’s Executive Director Giavante’ Hawkins. “As an organization dedicated to empowering accounting and tax professionals, we recognize that fostering financial literacy at an early age helps build a stronger, more financially responsible future workforce and community.”

MSATP’s partnership with MCEE takes many forms throughout the year. In addition to being a financial supporter, the association connects MCEE staff to association members who can be valuable content resources. MSATP members have spoken to groups of students and educators to help them gain real-world financial insights. Every year, the association contributes to the financial prize given to the teachers who win the Maryland Financial Education and Capabilities Award, of which MCEE is a co-presenter.

Says Giavante’ Hawkins, “By supporting MCEE, we help create a financially literate population, making it easier for our members to serve clients who have a strong foundation in economic and financial concepts. MCEE equips educators with the tools they need to teach financial literacy, ensuring that the next generation understands personal finance, taxation, and economic principles. MCEE is creating long-term, systemic change that will have lasting benefits for individuals, families, and businesses.

Established in 1959, the Maryland Society of Accounting and Tax Professionals coordinates a robust schedule of professional development and certification programs, networking events, and active advocacy that help its 2,000 members across Maryland—accountants, tax professionals, and financial advisors—elevate their practice and enhance their skills. Many of these members see their participation in MCEE as a way to give back to their communities.

And MCEE is grateful for their partnership and participation.

The Maryland Council on Economic Education (MCEE) is equipping educators with valuable resources to integrate Women’s History Month into economics and financial education lessons. These resources highlight the significant impact of women in business, finance, and entrepreneurship while fostering an understanding of key economic concepts. Through lesson plans, literature, and interactive activities, educators can empower students with knowledge about financial literacy and economic decision-making.

A variety of engaging materials are available on the MCEE website at https://econed.org/WomensHistoryMonth.

Through these resources, students will be introduced to  women’s contributions to the economy and financial sector. They can explore topics such as the purchasing power of women, challenges faced by women in business, and the evolving roles of women in economic leadership.

Throughout history, women have shaped economics and business despite facing systemic challenges. For example, Madam C.J. Walker, the first self-made female millionaire in the U.S., overcame racial and gender barriers to build a thriving haircare empire that empowered Black Women economically and socially. Janet Yellen, the first female U.S. Treasury Secretary and former Chair of the Federal Reserve, has played a pivotal role in shaping economic policies, demonstrating the increasing presence of women in financial leadership. Rosalind Brewer, the former CEO of Walgreens and Starbucks’ first Black female COO, has shattered glass ceilings in corporate leadership, proving the growing influence of women in top decision-making roles. Similarly, Gita Gopinath, the first female chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund, has played a crucial role in shaping global financial policies.

These stories illustrate how women continue to drive economic change, overcome barriers, and create opportunities for future generations. By integrating these real-world examples into lesson plans and discussions, educators can inspire students to recognize and contribute to the ongoing evolution of women’s roles in finance, economics and business. 

For more information, visit https://econed.org/WomensHistoryMonth.

Goals we believe in. Furthering excellence and growth in our community. Creating educated consumers. Mission alignment.

That’s why Greenspring Advisors supported MCEE through its 2023 and 2024 Greenspring Grant programs. Since the program was launched in 2012, MCEE was among the first grantees to receive a grant in consecutive years.

One of the Greenspring Grant program’s foundational goals is to support organizations that provide financial literacy education. They consider MCEE to be “admirable and paramount to fostering a better overall community by creating informed and rational investors, and expanding access to economic and financial literacy knowledge in Maryland schools.”

MCEE aligns with Greenspring Advisors’ community relations mission “to support organizations focused on enhancing financial literacy, workforce and economic development, and entrepreneurship in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey areas. The directive “Love Your Neighbor” is so central to our mission we’ve made it one of our core values.”

Greenspring employees have also participated in MCEE events as subject matter experts in webinars and as competition judges.

Greenspring Advisors is an independent, fee-only firm specializing in holistic and progressive investment advisory services to retirement plan fiduciaries, foundations, and endowments, as well as comprehensive wealth management services and financial planning to private investors.

Since 2005, the firm has contributed over $2 million to nonprofit organizations and has a strategic goal to invest more than $15 million in its communities by 2036. The employee-run Greenspring Grant committee reviews and selects grant recipients.

“Greenspring is proud to continue our support of the Maryland Council on Economic Education through our 2024 Greenspring Grant Program,“ said Amir Dreams, 2024 Greenspring Grant Chairperson. “MCEE’s vision and mission of fostering financial literacy for youths in Maryland is near and dear to Greenspring’s values. We look forward to seeing the impact MCEE has on not just the youth of Maryland but for Maryland as a whole.”

As part of its recently-forged partnership with the Maryland Council for Social Studies (MDCSS), MCEE will present four workshops at MCSS’s annual conference on Saturday, March 15, 2025. MCEE is a co-sponsor of the day-long event, which will be held at Salisbury University. 

The theme of the conference is Maryand’s Civil Rights Journey: Then & Now and is inspired by Governor Wes Moore's proclamation that 2024 was Maryland's Year of Civil Rights in honor of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Marylanders' contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. Social studies teachers are in a unique position to honor and uplift Maryland's Civil Rights history and inspire future advocates as Civil Rights Issues continue to evolve - and to use financially-related concepts to teach those lessons.

MCEE’s workshops at the Conference include:

Elementary

Children's literature is a perfect way to teach about the civil rights movement and related economics.  For example, the book Let Them Play by Margot Theis Raven is a true story of little league in 1955 in segregated South Carolina. The book explores the barriers of the all-Black team and allows students to explore major league baseball today. Literature will be shared in this session along with lesson plans, activities, and resources that help explore the economics associated with the various stories.

Middle School

The journey of Indigenous people in the United States will be explored with a focus on past and present economic impact. This exploration and study will be related to Maryland state Social Studies standards that recognize multiple narratives and acknowledge the diversity and commonality of the human experience; use geography to explore the location, distribution, and impact of human activities; and analyze how individuals and societies have changed over time to make connection to the present in their communities. Participants will be provided with literature connections, activities, and lesson templates.

High School

The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond will present the history and impacts of redlining and blockbusting - policies that have had significant impacts on the economic lives of people of color living in major cities such as Baltimore.  Participants will receive lesson plans and resources to help teach both concepts to high school students.

The new Advanced Placement (AP) African American History course has gained significant interest in Maryland high schools. In this session, the economics that are part of the teaching framework will be explored. Through primary and secondary sources, an inquiry learning experience will allow workshop  participants to see how they can teach students to connect their learning to answer the question, How does economics explain the challenges and successes of Blacks after the Civil War?

Information about the conference and registration is available at https://www.mdcss.org/conference-2025

The Maryland Council for Social Studies (MDCSS) is dedicated to the promotion and support of social studies education in Maryland and the United States. MDCSS works to build a community of social studies educators in the state of Maryland, and through this network advance cultural understanding, respect for human differences, and an appreciation of diversity.