Md. Higher Ed. Secretary Leaving For Foundation

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Maryland's secretary of higher education is leaving her post to work for an education foundation.

Danette Howard, who has served as the secretary of the Maryland Higher Education Commission since 2011, will join the Lumina Foundation as vice president for policy and mobilization. Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday that Catherine McCullough Shultz will take over as acting secretary of the commission.

O'Malley says during Howard's tenure, Maryland has improved the quality of its colleges and universities and fought to hold down tuition.

Shultz is the principal counsel in the Office of Attorney General at the Maryland Higher Education Commission, where she has served for the last seven years.