Stephen L. Pruitt will serve as the next president of the Southern Regional Education Board. The former Kentucky commissioner of education and senior vice president for Achieve joins SREB in July.

SREB’s Executive Committee unanimously selected Pruitt, 49, after a months-long nationwide search. He will succeed Dave Spence, 73, who has been SREB president since 2005 and informed the Board in June 2017 of his intention to retire this summer. 

“Dr. Pruitt has amassed an extensive policy, assessment and instructional background in education at the local, state and national levels that will benefit this board and most importantly students across the 16 states represented by SREB,” said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, chair of the SREB board. “This is the only regional organization that encourages collaboration among governors, legislators and state education leaders when it comes to implementing sound policies that positively impact children from early childhood through postsecondary education, and I look forward to working with Dr. Pruitt in building on its success.” 

“I am honored by the opportunity to lead the Southern Regional Education Board, which has long been a driving force in improving education in the states,” Pruitt said. “I will work to ensure that each student from pre-K through postsecondary has access to an equitable and rigorous education that prepares them for their chosen careers.”

Stephen Pruitt started his education career as a high school chemistry teacher in Fayette County, Georgia. He served in several leadership roles at the Georgia Department of Education, including associate superintendent for assessment and accountability and chief of staff. As senior vice president for Achieve, a nonpartisan education organization, he worked closely with state agencies and educators around the country to improve science education. Most recently, he was Kentucky’s state commissioner of education.

A native of Georgia, Pruitt holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of North Georgia, a master’s degree in science education from the University of West Georgia and a doctoral degree in chemistry education from Auburn University.

“We congratulate Dr. Stephen Pruitt on his selection as president of the Southern Regional Education Board,” said Glen D. Johnson, chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and chair of the SREB presidential search committee. “Dr. Pruitt’s professional expertise includes a unique blend of academic and administrative experience coupled with frequent opportunities to interact with lawmakers in support of a wide cross-section of key public education initiatives. His leadership will be a tremendous asset to the SREB Board, staff and the 16 SREB member states as we begin the transition into this new chapter in the history of SREB.”

Pruitt and his wife are parents of two children: a son who attends the University of Colorado Boulder and a daughter at the University of Kentucky.

The Southern Regional Education Board works with member states to improve public education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. Member states are Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.

Media contact: Beth Day, (404) 879-5544