State School Board Reveals Chief Turnaround Officer Finalists
Members of the State Board of Education will choose Georgia’s first ever Chief Turnaround Officer after state lawmakers approved the position earlier this year.
This officer will answer to the Board, which is appointed by the governor, rather than to the elected State School Superintendent. Their job is to work with underperforming schools around the state.
The board has narrowed their search to three candidates. Officials said they will interview the finalists Tuesday and released the following information on the three applicants:
- Dr. Eric Parker is currently the superintendent for Eastern Kentucky University’s laboratory schools. As executive director for leadership and school improvement in Montgomery, Alabama, he led district turnaround efforts. He was principal of a hig school and a middle school in Gwinnett County and of a high school in Atlanta.
- Dr. Lannie Milon Jr. is currently a leader of a 2800-student high school in Houston. He has served as a turnaround leader in both Houston and in New Orleans. In Kansas City, he served as the principal of the district’s alternative schools. He began his career as a teacher in the Atlanta schools.
- Dr. Eric Thomas is the chief support officer of the University of Virginia’s turnaround program, working with schools and districts nationwide. Previously, as the chief innovation officer for Cincinnati Public Schools, he designed and implemented district-wide improvement efforts and directly supported the district’s lowest-performing schools. He is a former teacher and principal.
The head of the governor’s Education Turnaround Advisory Council, Dr. Jimmy Stokes, will take part in the interviews, but State School Superintendent Richard Woods will not.