The Alaska Board of Education and Early Development has chosen Deena Bishop to be the state’s newly appointed education commissioner. Bishop will officially assume her duties on Aug. 9.
The board of directors on Wednesday unanimously voted to approve Bishop who was previously as the superintendent of both the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna district schools.
Bishop has been working in the field of the education field throughout Alaska since 1991. He was on the University of Alaska Board of Regents from 2015 until 2019.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Bishop on board for the position of commissioner,” Board Chair James Fields stated in an announcement. “She is a passionate advocate and commitment to enhancing the outcomes of every student.”
Gov. Mike Dunleavy had appointed Susan McKenzie to serve as the state’s education commissioner in February of this year However, McKenzie refused.
Bishop succeeds Heidi Teshner, who has been acting as the Commissioner for the past year. Michael Johnson resigned from the post in June 2022.
Bishop is an Ph.D. in assessment of learning and performance of systems. She retired in the summer of last year as the superintendentof the Anchorage School District, which is the biggest district of the state. She then worked as an assistantto Dunleavy regarding education issues. Dunleavy must accept her appointment as a commissioner for education.
