Luminaries

Mary Hatwood Futrell

Mary Hatwood Futrell was raised in a single-parent household by her mother. She earned her high school diploma from Dunbar High School in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she was a cheerleader and a member of student government, Future Business Leaders of America, and the National Honor Society.

Futrell received her degree in business education from Virginia State University. From 1962 until 1964, she worked as a teacher at the all-Black Parker Gray High School in Alexandria. In 1965, Futrell helped integrate the teaching staff at George Washington High School, where she taught business until 1980. While there, she earned her master's degree in secondary education from George Washington University in 1968.

Futrell was the first Black president of the Virginia Education Association from 1976 to 1978. She was elected NEA president in 1983, serving until 1989. During her tenure as NEA's third Black president, she helped the organization to achieve leadership status in the areas of civil and human rights—especially women's rights.

In 1983, Futrell assumed the presidency of Education International. In 1992, she joined the faculty at George Washington University, while earning her Ph.D. in education policy studies. In 1995, she was promoted to dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. She is also the director of the George Washington Institute for Curriculum Standards and Technology.