Carolyn Mark shortly after her election as chairwoman of the EG School Committee Dec. 2. Credit: EG News

Carolyn Mark, new chairman of the East Greenwich School Committee, has resigned as president of the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Organization of Women (RI NOW) to focus on her expanding School Committee duties.

“It was not realistic to do both,” Mark said Monday night, after a brief joint meeting with the Town Council at Swift Community Center.

As president of RI NOW, Mark was often lobbying at the State House during the General Assembly session and the GA meets Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The School Committee meets at least two Tuesday nights a month and, with the budget season about to begin, the number of night meetings will escalate.

In a letter to friends and colleagues, Mark wrote, “I have quickly realized that my increased responsibilities would make it very difficult for me to be both chair of the EG school committee AND president of RI NOW. Much of the work of these two entities takes place in the late afternoon and evenings, and the competing commitments are just too great.”

Mark is two years into a four-year term on the School Committee. She was elected president by the panel at their first official post-election meeting, on Dec. 2. David Green had served as president for the past two years but he lost his bid for reelection.

Mark, who served as president since 2006, will remain on the board at RI NOW.

In her letter, she said, “I am both excited and a bit daunted by my new duties, but mostly I am grateful to my School Committee colleagues for their vote of confidence.”

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