Dr. Tony Bennett Inaugurated as Superintendent of Public Instruction

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - State Superintendent Dr. Tony Bennett was inaugurated as Indiana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction at the Indiana Statehouse today.

“Never in the history of our state have the stakes been higher for Indiana’s educational system. We must develop and execute a plan that puts our state in its rightful place at the top of the nation and on par with the rest of the world,” Bennett said in his inauguration address.

Bennett laid out his goals for the Department of Education which include: setting high standards and keeping constant score of how Indiana schools are serving their students, recruiting and training the best teachers and administrators, and establishing new flexible structures for schools to meet the needs of Indiana’s students.

Bennett named his top-level staff for the Indiana Department of Education Monday, a list that includes both new and old faces as he looks to restructure the department.

“As we begin a new era in the education of Hoosier students, I’m excited not only with the caliber of people who are joining our effort, but also with the caliber of those who will continue their service at the Indiana Department of Education,” Bennett said.

Among Bennett’s new appointments are:

• Chief of Staff Todd Huston, a recent member of the Indiana Board of Education and Education Roundtable and former Hamilton Southeastern School Board Member who has spent his professional career working with school and local governments on finance and technology issues;
• Chief Operating Officer Maureen Weber, a former Deputy Commissioner at both the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles and the Indiana Department of Workforce Development;
• Chief Financial Officer Lance Rhodes, a previous chief of staff and chief financial officer at the Indiana Department of Health and former teacher and coach at Cathedral High School;
• Chief Information Officer Anne Brinson, the Assistant Superintendent for Information Systems at the Indiana Department of Education under Dr. Suellen Reed;
• Chief Assessment Officer Wes Bruce, the Assistant Superintendent for Accreditation, Assessment and Licensing at the Indiana Department of Education under Dr. Suellen Reed;
• Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Dr. Bob Marra, the Assistant Superintendent for Exceptional Learners at the Department of Education under Dr. Suellen Reed; and
• Assistant Superintendent for Support Services Dr. Richard Hogue, a recently retired assistant superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools and former high school principal.

“This is a leadership team that I’m proud of, and that I think all Hoosiers can be proud of,” said Bennett. “Student learning will always be job No. 1 at the Indiana Department of Education, and there isn’t a person on our leadership team who won’t put the interests of students first.”

The transition process has deliberately avoided a massive overhaul at the outset to ensure maximum stability as Bennett works on his first budget in a tough economic environment and as schools prepare for spring ISTEP+ testing for the first time.