Maryland Codes is Code in the Schools’ professional learning division and it serves as the Maryland Regional Partner for Code.org. In 2018 Maryland Codes started its partnership with the Maryland Center for Computing Education (MCCE) to provide professional learning to Computer Science educators across the state of Maryland. Together Maryland Codes and MCCE share a mission to bring high quality computer science professional learning experiences to every school district in Maryland.
Kim Suter
Kim Suter, Director of Professional Learning, Code in the Schools
Kim Suter comes to us from the world of fine art with a background in project management and customer service. Kim specializes in coordinating complex projects with multiple stakeholders and deadlines. She was the Traveling Exhibits Coordinator for ARTEX Fine Art Services where she managed multiple traveling exhibitions for major museums across the US. Her clients included the Baltimore Museum of Art, Walters Art Gallery, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, as well as the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC.
Kim left the world of fine art transportation to become a gallery director, and to pursue her own passion for creating art. After taking a break from the gallery world to raise her son, Kim sought to utilize her ability to manage elaborate projects for a company that would benefit her hometown community of Baltimore. As the Professional Learning Project Manager at Code in the Schools and a Maryland Codes Program Manager, Kim works with a dedicated team to coordinate computer science professional learning workshops for teachers across Maryland, Washington, DC and Delaware.
Joelle Bennett
Joelle Bennett, Professional Learning Program Coordinator, Code in the Schools
Gretchen LeGrand
Gretchen LeGrand, Executive Director, Code in the Schools
Gretchen is a passionate advocate for ethnic and gender diversity in tech, and her work over the past 15+ years in the non-profit and human services sector has focused on education, workforce development, and poverty alleviation. In 2013 Gretchen and her husband (game developer Mike LeGrand) started Code in the Schools with an after-school club of 20 high schoolers. Code in the Schools now serves thousands of Baltimore City youth each year through their education and workforce development programs. In 2014 Gretchen was recognized by the Baltimore Social Innovation Journal for her work, and in 2016 Code in the Schools was named tech mission organization of the year by Technical.ly Baltimore. Gretchen and her organization offer workshops and training for teachers and librarians and she frequently presents on the importance of Computer Science education at conferences around the country, including the Computers in Libraries Conference, US News and World Report STEMSummit, and SxSWEdu. She holds a BA in Philosophy and the History of Science and Mathematics from St. John's College, and an MS in Applied Psychology from the University of Baltimore. Gretchen and Mike live in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore with their four kids and two dogs.
Heather Lageman
Acting Chief of Organizational Effectiveness and Executive Director of Leadership & Organizational Development, Baltimore County Public Schools, Towson, Maryland
Heather Lageman serves as the Acting Chief of Organizational Effectiveness and Executive Director of Leadership & Organizational Development for Baltimore County Public Schools. Prior, she served as the Director of Curriculum for the Maryland State Department of Education, and managed statewide implementation of the Teacher Induction Program. During Race to the Top, she served as Race to the Top Local Education Agency (LEA) Director for Maryland and managed both programmatic and fiscal aspects of district projects.
Heather is dedicated to supporting the professional learning and development of inspired and innovative educators through her work with nonprofits. She is a Maryland Codes Code.org Regional Partnership Program Manager, Past-President of The Council of Educational Administrative and Supervisory Organizations of Maryland (CEASOM), and was the facilitator of the Networks and the Internet Writing Team for the K-12 Computer Science Framework. Heather serves on the Governor's P-20 Leadership Council of Maryland and is a member of the Governor's Cybersecurity and Information Technology Task Force. She is on the Board of the Maryland Assessment Group and was a member of the National Task Force on Assessment Education. President of Maryland Affiliate of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), she is Past-President of the Learning Forward Maryland Affiliate and Past-Chair of the Learning Forward Foundation.