"Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger announced Tuesday that she has chosen Jeffery Smith, former superintendent of Hampton schools, to serve as Virginia’s next secretary of education.

Smith served as the chief executive of the 14th-largest school division in the state from 2015 to 2023. During his tenure, the district’s on-time graduation rates went up while dropout rates went down. The school district also expanded its academies and career pathways and strengthened its dual-enrollment program.

Upon his retirement three years ago, The Virginian Pilot wrote that Smith was known as the 'dean of superintendents,' as he often mentored other superintendents.

The Virginia Secretary of Education oversees all education in the state, from early childhood through college and technical schools. The education secretary provides guidance to the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Community College System and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, as well as Virginia’s 16 public colleges and universities, 23 community colleges and five higher education and research centers," reports Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Photo: Smith, Richmond Times-Dispatch.