Joseph W. Sampson, Jr.

Joseph W. Sampson, Jr. is a candidate running for the Charles County Board of Education District 2 seat in 2026. A 49-year-old Waldorf resident, he works as an equal employment opportunity specialist and previously served as vice president of the Charles County NAACP. He is passionate about children's education and increasing male representation on the school board, emphasizing that men can bring an important perspective and level of care to education policy alongside women. His campaign priorities include expanding collective bargaining with the teachers' union, the Education Association of Charles County, to cover more support staff such as bus drivers, and reexamining how school funding is allocated to better support teachers' pay. He describes his candidacy as transitioning from being a community advocate on the outside to one on the inside. He is running in a five-person race for District 2's two seats, which are currently held by Jamila Smith and Brenda Thomas. The Board of Education race is nonpartisan, with the primary on June 23 and the general election on November 3, 2026.