Education Commissioner Candice McQueen is leaving state service to lead a national non-profit organization.
Governor Bill Haslam announced the change Thursday morning, saying McQueen will become CEO of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching beginning in January.
The nonprofit helps states, districts, and schools attract, develop, and retain high-quality educators.
Haslam appointed McQueen in January 2015. She was previously dean of Lipscomb University’s College of Education.
During her tenure, the state experienced record high graduation rates and the best overall statewide ACT average and best overall ACT participation rate in the state’s history.
However, she faced scrutiny over the state’s TNReady testing failures. Back in April, several lawmakers called for her resignation because of the issues.
