CSM Welcomes Sylvia Royster as Director of Educational Partnerships

The College of Southern Maryland (CSM) welcomes Sylvia Royster as the college’s director of Educational Partnerships effective July 29. This new position within the CSM’s Division of Learning was established to oversee the design, coordination and implementation of strategic initiatives with CSM’s educational partners.

In her new role, Royster will team with CSM partners to remove barriers that prevent student access to higher education, and guide students through successful completion of transfer and Career Technical Education (CTE) pathways – as well as work closely with CSM faculty and staff to identify ways to fully support the college’s growing Dual Enrollment and Early College populations. Royster will also provide leadership and overall coordination for first-year and transition programs across CSM’s campuses.

“I look forward to having Ms. Royster serve in this new role within the Division of Learning,” said CSM President Dr. Yolanda Wilson. “Her extensive experience in school administration and working directly with the K-12 student population as well as her effective involvement in community outreach and organizational work provides her with keen insights for the work ahead of us.”

“A well-known quote that continues to resonate with me since I made a commitment to public education more than 20 years ago has been 'Be the change you wish to see in the world' credited to Mahatma Gandhi,” shared Royster. “It reminds me that it is our responsibility to humanity to be the change agent for positive transformation. I believe that when these words become self-evident then the impact allows for opportunities that once may have been insurmountable to become reality.”

Royster comes to CSM from Charles County Public Schools (CCPS), where she most recently served as CCPS’ director of Community Engagement and Equity. She also served as vice principal at Barnhart Elementary and as an administrative intern/vice principal. Her work with CCPS over the past five years has included collaborations with several of CSM’s strategic partners within the community.

Royster currently serves on the board of the Charles County Charitable Trust – Helping Charles County Succeed, the advisory board of the Charles County Department of Economic Development, the business and education committee of the Charles County Chamber of Commerce as well as the chamber’s legislative committee. She is also involved with the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium as an advisory committee member with its CAFE Community of Practice.

Prior to her arrival in Charles County, Royster worked in North Carolina with the Cumberland County School System in principal and assistant principal positions, and with nonprofits including the National Education Association, the Autism Society of Cumberland County and was the founding charter school principal of the Capitol Encore Academy.

Royster is a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership and Administration at George Washington University. She holds a master’s degree in School Administration from Fayetteville State University, a bachelor’s degree from University of North Carolina at Pembroke and an associate of arts degree from Peace College in Raleigh, N.C.