E. Carlene Murray is the current principal at Northwestern, joining the faculty in the Fall of 2015. Murray replaced Edgar Batenga, who was principal from 2011 until 2014. Batenga replaced Jerome Thomas, who served as principal from 2004 until 2011. Thomas was a long-time vice principal at Northwestern, and had succeeded former principal William T. Ritter, who was the school's Dean of Students until 2000, when then-principal Kevin M. Maxwell left the Prince George's County Public Schools system to head Walter Johnson High School in Montgomery County. Maxwell was currently serving as superintendent of schools for the Anne Arundel County Public Schools system, also in Maryland, until June 2013. William Ritter himself was eventually appointed head of the Region 5 District in 2004 (and later, head of the school system's FIRST-Financial Incentive Rewards for Supervisors & Teachers program), where Jerome Thomas (who was a longtime vice principal at Northwestern)took his position. On Thursday, June 28, 2013, it was confirmed by the county executive, Rushern Baker, that Maxwell had been chosen to permanently lead the Prince George's County Public Schools system beginning in August 2013, as the new chief executive officer, replacing Alvin Crawley.