Charlestine R. Fairley, PhD

Charlestine Fairley is well known for her work within the public health sector for Anne Arundel County, specifically in substance abuse and disease prevention programs, and her focus on education as another means to improve the quality of life for at-risk youth and adults.

Dr. Fairley is CEO of the Community Action Agency, Inc. She understands she was brought into this role as a “change agent” to increase the 50-year-old organization’s reach in serving low-income individuals and families in Anne Arundel County. When asked about her motivation, Dr. Fairley responded, “I am inspired by the poem, See It Through by Edgar Albert Guest, as I am a persistent problem solver, and I do not give up easily.”

Career Highlights

In 1993, she joined Sojourner-Douglas College and developed the Baccalaureate Completion Program. She led the recruiting and expansion efforts for an Annapolis satellite campus where over 500 people earned degrees after reading a report that 70 percent of African American male high school students in Anne Arundel County had a D or below grade average. She decided that the issue needed to be addressed. In 2009, Dr. Fairley started a pilot program, in partnership with Anne Arundel County Public Schools, The Sojourner-Douglas Middle College High School Program. As a result, students’ attendance and grades improved, and discipline referrals decreased.

Charlestine R. Fairley, Ph. D., has been blessed with an illustrious career as an outstanding educator, award-winning dean, solutions-oriented leader, and passionate community servant. Dr. Fairley has extensive and progressive administrative experience within higher education institutions, school systems, federal government agencies, community groups, international organizations, and nonprofit corporations.

Professional Experience

• Chief Executive Officer of Anne County Community Action Agency, Inc., Annapolis, MD
• Dean, Annapolis Southern Maryland Campus - Sojourner-Douglass College
• Director, County Executive’s Criminal Justice Drug Intervention Program, Anne Arundel County, Annapolis, MD
• Director, Prevention Services - Division of Mental Health and Addictions, Anne Arundel County Health Department, Annapolis, MD
• Program Officer (Public Health Advisor)/Project Officer for Technical Assistance Contract Community Partnership, Office of Substance Abuse Prevention (OSAP), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD
• Expert Consultant, Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, Washington DC
• Senior Faculty, Nova University, Fort Lauderdale, FL
• Adjunct Faculty, School of Business and Economics, Bowie State University, Bowie, MD
• Trainer, Office of Education and Training for Addiction Services, State of Maryland, Baltimore, MD

Recognized Achievements

Dr. Fairley has received numerous citations and awards for her work, including the Anne Arundel County Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Shero Education Award, the Claflin University Hall of Fame, and recognition in What Up? Annapolis, meet 2013’s People Who Are Making a Difference in Annapolis Award, Sojourner Truth Unsung Heroine Award, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dream Keeper’s Award, YWCA TWIN Award, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, recognized as Anne Arundel County African American Female Pioneer, Fannie Lou Hamer Women of Excellence Award, and many others. Community service and engagement are essential to Dr. Fairley, which includes Annapolis Southern Maryland Charter School, Inc., The Links Incorporated, Kunta Kinte- Alex Haley Foundation, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, NAACP, National Council of Negro Women, and Annapolis Alumnae Delta Foundation.

Professional Affiliations

Dr. Fairley’s professional affiliations include the following:

• Maryland Community Action Partnership Board of Directors
• American Association of University Women (AAUW)
• Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority (Life Member)
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) (Life Member)
• National Council of Negro Women (Life Member)