Virginia Gov. Youngkin appoints new superintendent of public instruction

RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has appointed a new superintendent of public instruction.

On Wednesday, Youngkin announced that Tennessee Chief Academic Officer Lisa Coons will be Virginia’s 27th superintendent of public instruction. Her appointment is effective April 17.

Coons has served in multiple leadership roles in K-12 education, most recently as chief academic officer for the Tennessee Department of Education.

Coons also worked as an executive officer of division priority schools for Metro Nashville Public Schools and executive director of instructional leadership at the Tennessee Department of Education.

Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera says Coon’s leadership will help make Virginia’s education “best-in-class.”

“She has demonstrated success in addressing learning loss, creating and implementing evidence-based literacy policy and practices, and building strong partnerships with teachers, communities, school and division leaders, and parents.”

Coon’s appointment comes days after Virginia’s previous superintendent of public instruction Jillian Balow resigned. Balow then became a consultant for the Youngkin administration following her departure.

On Wednesday, Youngkin also announced the appointment of Goochland County Superintendent Jeremy Raley as the Virginia Department of Education’s new chief of staff.

Raley has been in public education for twenty-six years, serving as superintendent of Goochland County Public Schools since 2016. He began his career in Shenandoah County, where he started as a physical education teacher and served as a principal and then as division superintendent.