New York Regents tap new interim chief amid search for a permanent leader

New York’s Board of Regents named Shannon Tahoe its new interim commissioner Monday amid the board’s search for a permanent schools chief.

Tahoe has worked for 13 years in the state education department and was previously the education department’s deputy counsel. She was named the acting commissioner last month after Beth Berlin, the previous interim commissioner, announced her departure for a new job. 

The new interim commissioner was also tapped as the education department’s new counsel and deputy commissioner of legal affairs. Until a permanent top commissioner is found, Tahoe will focus on that job while her colleague Aaron Baldwin serves as acting counsel. (Baldwin was also appointed as the new deputy counsel.)

Monday’s moves are the latest to fill gaps within the education department’s top brass, most notably the job left by former Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, who resigned in August for a job with a school improvement consulting firm. 

“With these additional appointments, the state education department is further building up its leadership team,” said Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa in a statement. 

Rosa added, “Under Shannon’s proven leadership and steady hand, the department is well positioned to move forward with the board’s priorities and ensure the smooth operation of the day-to-day activities of the department.”

The Board of Regents plans to hire a firm that will conduct a nationwide search for a new commissioner, and they issued a request for proposals, or an RFP, from interested companies in November. Responses to that RFP were due Monday, and the Regents hope to hire a firm in January, an education department spokesperson said last week.