The AACPS Ethics Panel is charged with devising, receiving, and maintaining all ethics forms generated by school system policies and regulations; providing advisory opinions on ethics matters, making determinations as to complaints filed by any person alleging violations of policies or regulations; referring findings regarding complaints and other enforcement matters to the Board for action; and conducting an information program regarding the purposes and application of regulations.

The panel meets annually unless more frequent meetings are required. All meetings are open to the public, but a portion of any meeting may be closed in accordance with the Maryland Open Meetings Act.

For more information, contact Diane Howell, Executive Assistant, 410-222-5311 or dhowell@aacps.org

Read about the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Ethics Panel members below:

Jacqueline Boone Allsup, Vice Chair, Term July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2027 

As both educator and community leader, Jacqueline has worked to achieve a quality of life for others and to bring about positive social and community change. As a retired Professor of Anne Arundel Community College, she is maximally involved in her church and community.  Jacqueline served three terms as the president of the Anne Arundel County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). A resident of Anne Arundel County, Jacqueline retired after 30 years of service to the State of Maryland in the field of nursing, where she provided services as an evening hospital supervisor, adolescent nurse manager, coordinator of treatment program and nursing program supervisor, and assistant director of nursing. She has many years of experience as a registered nurse and administrator.  Ms. Allsup is a graduate of Leadership Anne Arundel, where she gained an awareness and understanding of county and regional issues, as well as acquired valuable hands-on experience. She is a product of Glen Burnie High School and was inducted into the Wall of Honor. She earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Nursing Administration from Bowie State University.

John A. Ralph, Ph.D., ABPP, Term July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2027

Dr. John Ralph received his BA from the University of Notre Dame in 1987, and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1996. He is a retired Navy Captain who served both as a Navy Surface Warfare Officer and a Navy Clinical Psychologist. He held several leadership positions throughout his military service, including as the Leader of the Navy Clinical Psychology community, the Director of Psychological Health for the Navy, the Chief of Staff for the Navy's Wounded, Ill, and Injured programs, and as the first Director of Behavioral Health for the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He retired from the Navy in 2019, and currently serves as the National Training Director for Navy Clinical Psychology. He and his wife Deirdre have six children, two of whom now serve in the Navy. The Ralphs are 20-year residents of Annapolis, and have sent all six of their children to Anne Arundel County Public Schools. They have also volunteered extensively for AACPS, on various committees, and on several boards at West Annapolis Elementary School, Bates Middle School, and Annapolis High School. Dr. Ralph is a strong advocate for the public school system, and has enormous respect for the teachers and staff who have devoted their professional lives to education. He is excited to serve as a member of this board, to help give back to the school system that has benefited his family so greatly.

Kia Chandler, Chair, Term July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026

Kia Chandler, Esq. is the Managing Attorney of her own law firm, The Chandler Law Firm, LLC, which formerly provided legal services in the areas of Civil Litigation, Family Law and Juvenile Law, now focuses primarily on rendering legal services to school systems and businesses in the areas of School Law; Administrative Law; Labor and Employment; Contract Law; and Litigation. 

Prior employment positions have been serving as Chief Executive Officer of iCommunity Connection Services, Inc. an Anne Arundel County, Maryland based non-profit, as an Assistant General Counsel for Salisbury University, an institution of higher education within the University System of Maryland; with the Maryland law firm Carney, Kelehan, Bresler, Bennett & Scherr, LLP; as an Instructor through George Washington University co-teaching School Law and Policy; as a legal assistant at the White House, Office of Administration, Office of the General Counsel; as a law clerk for a Circuit Court Judge in Denver, Colorado; and as a law clerk in the civil litigation practice group for the Denver based law firm Hall & Evans, LLC. 

Ms. Chandler holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in Political Science with a minor in International Relations. She is licensed to practice law in the states of Colorado and Maryland. 

Ms. Chandler has served on several boards and commissions and is currently serving as a Member of the Dean’s Advisory Board for Syracuse University, College of Arts and Sciences; as Secretary for the Board of Directors for the National Alliance on Mental Illness Anne Arundel County Chapter; as Chair of the Anne Arundel County Board of Education’s Ethics Panel; and is a Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. 

Kerry O'Dell, Term July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026

Kerry O'Dell is a lawyer, musician, and veteran. She became a resident of Anne Arundel County in 2000 after enlisting with the United States Army Field Band. She is an active member of the local classical music community and is currently the principal flutist of the Londontowne Symphony Orchestra. She is an ethics official in the federal government, currently serving with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and has previously served as an ethics official for the Department of Homeland Security and the Executive Office of the President. Her children have attended or are attending Anne Arundel County Public Schools. She received a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude from Temple University and Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Valerie Anias, Term July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025

Valerie E. Anias, Esq. is a resident of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Law from Binghamton University and her Juris Doctorate from University of Baltimore School of Law. Since receiving her J.D. in 2016, she founded two law firms and continues to practice locally in Anne Arundel County. Valerie's primary areas of practice include family law, estate planning, and estate litigation. Her understanding, compassion, and thoroughness in her practice has led her to serve on various committees, including the Anne Arundel County Public Schools System.

Revised 7/23/2024 - DH