Mary Ellen Duncan, Ph.D.

Professor, UMUC

Mary Ellen Duncan is a professor in the new UMUC doctoral program for community college educators, a partner in Synergies Consulting Group, Inc., on the advisory board of Excelsior College in New York, and a Coach for Achieving the Dream.  As an Achieving the Dream Coach, Dr. Duncan consults several community colleges throughout the US including Prince George’s Community College in Maryland and Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey. 

Prior to her role with Achieving the Dream, Dr. Duncan has had 35 years of experience in higher education in New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, and Maryland. Seventeen of those years were in presidencies in community colleges, most recently Howard Community College, in Columbia, MD. During her tenure, HCC was awarded the State Quality Award and raised over $14 million as part of a campaign to build the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Building.

Dr. Duncan is active in the community, serving on the Horizon Foundation Board, the Success in Style Board, and on the Domestic Violence Council. She is also certified as an executive coach for two types of leadership assessments: the Hogan instruments and the Hay Emotional and Social Competency Inventory.

Her leadership has been widely recognized. The Howard County Chamber of Commerce honored Dr. Duncan with the Exemplar Award in 2007. The Horizon Foundation presented her with the Richard G. McCauley Leadership Award in 2004. In that year, she also received the Wylene Burch Award for Distinguished Leadership from the Howard County Center for African-American Culture. In 2002, she was named as one of the Maryland Top 100 Women and in 2001 Dr. Duncan became a graduate of Leadership Maryland.

Educational Background: Dr. Duncan holds a bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University in English and Education, and a master’s and Ph.D. from The University of Connecticut.