J. Thomas Husted, a 32-year veteran of the Baltimore City public school system, has been appointed by the School of Professional Studies in Business and Education to serve as coordinator for Project SITE SUPPORT, the $12.6 million program being overseen by the Graduate Division of Education to recruit and train teachers for the region's neediest urban areas.

Husted, who was director of both leadership development and professional development in the city school system, served as a principal for most of his career. He also coordinated the mayor's Executive Leadership Development Program and in 1998 was selected by Mayor Kurt Schmoke as the outstanding administrator in the Baltimore City government. In addition, he has led the Principals Mentoring Project and Aspiring Leaders Program in SPSBE's Graduate Division of Education.

A graduate of Hopkins with a bachelor's degree in English, Husted received his master's degree in administration from Towson University.

Project SITE SUPPORT, funded by a federal grant, is a network of school, university, community and business partnerships created to recruit, prepare, support and retain a new generation of teachers prepared to meet diverse learning needs of K-12 children in high-need urban schools. The goals of the partnership between SPSBE, Morgan State, the University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore City schools and other Maryland school districts are to heighten student achievement; improve teacher quality; increase the placement and retention of high-quality teachers in high-need schools; increase the quality, number and diversity of teacher candidates in critical shortage areas; and enhance the ability of new teachers to use technology for lesson preparation and professional development.