Originally from Massachusetts, Ms. Scott received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Tufts University and her Master of Arts in Legislative Affairs from George Washington University. Before moving to Maryland in 1966, Ms. Scott taught in Connecticut, as well as France and Japan for the Overseas Teacher’s Division of the Department of Defense. Once in Maryland, Ms. Scott’s career in public service began in 1970 when, as a young wife and mother, she found the health care facilities available in her community of Bowie to be unsatisfactory. Ms. Scott worked successfully for the establishment of the Bowie Health Center in 1974, and served as Chairman of the Center for 24 years. Her success with the Health Center launched Ms. Scott into the world of politics and she served only one year as a Bowie City Councilmember before she was elected Mayor of Bowie in 1976. Ms. Scott served three terms as Mayor and became the first woman to serve as Mayor of Maryland’s third largest city.

As Mayor, Ms. Scott joined the Maryland Municipal League in 1976 and became president of the League in 1979. As president of the League, Ms. Scott led a successful campaign for tax differential compensation for municipalities. From here, Ms. Scott’s involvement in politics continued to increase and in 1981, she was appointed to the Department of Housing and Urban Development as Special Assistant in Community Planning and Development, from which she quickly was promoted to General Deputy Assistant Secretary.

Ms. Scott continued to be involved in politics throughout the 1990s, and from 1994 to 2002, she served on the Prince George’s County Council, in which she represented the Fourth Council District, including Bowie, Greenbelt, Seabrook, Lanham and Glenn Dale. While a member of the Council, Ms. Scott served on many Council Committees and acted as Council Representative to many bodies, including the Council of Government’s Metropolitan Development Policy Committee, the Board of Education, the Prince George’s County Municipal Association and the Prince George’s County Conference and Visitors Bureau. In 2001, she was elevated to the position of Vice Chairman of the County Council.

In 2003, Governor Robert L. Ehrlich chose Ms. Scott to serve as Secretary of Planning, and she did so while again being involved in many different committees and executive bodies. As Secretary of Planning, Ms. Scott served on the Governor’s Executive Council, the Governor’s Council on the Chesapeake Bay, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, the Maryland Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Interdepartmental Advisory Committee for Minority Affairs, among many others.

In addition to the world of politics, Ms. Scott was also actively involved in the National Capital Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society since 1976. For fifteen years, Ms. Scott worked on the Board of Directors and in January of 1991, Ms. Scott was appointed Executive Director of the Chapter – a position she held until 1994.

For her work in Maryland, Ms. Scott has won many awards and was given the distinction of being named a Maryland Woman of Achievement.