NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Incoming Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has looked to Texas to find his state education commissioner.
The Republican governor-elect's transition team announced Thursday that Texas Education Agency chief deputy commissioner of academics Penny Schwinn will lead the Tennessee Department of Education.
Lee has advocated for school choice, but hasn't released detailed policy priorities yet.
Lee's team touted Schwinn's role in transforming the assessment program in Texas, expanding externships and focusing on career readiness.
Schwinn previously was the chief accountability and performance officer for the Delaware Department of Education.
She taught with Teach for America, having worked in Baltimore and Los Angeles, and founded Capitol Collegiate Academy, a charter school for low-income students in Sacramento, California.
Schwinn also was recently a finalist for the Massachusetts education commissioner job.
Lee's inauguration is Saturday.
