Stephen Pruitt took office as the sixth president of the Southern Regional Education Board in July 2018.

He started his education career as a high school chemistry teacher in Fayette County, Georgia. During his career, Pruitt has amassed education policy, assessment and instructional background at the local, state and national levels.

Before coming to SREB, Pruitt was Kentucky’s state commissioner of education. At the national level, he had worked closely with state agencies and educators around the country to improve policy and practice in science education. In Georgia, Pruitt served as science and mathematics program manager, director of academic standards, associate state superintendent for assessment and accountability and chief of staff for the Georgia Department of Education.

Pruitt also served as a board member to the Council of Chief State School Officers, as president of the Council of State Science Supervisors and as a member of the writing team for the College Board Standards for College Success for science. In addition, he was named to the National Research Council’s Board on Science Education and served on the National Academies of Science Committee on Conceptual Framework for New Science Education Standards that developed the Framework for K-12 Science Education.

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

Pruitt and his wife are the parents of two children. Their son is a recent graduate of the University of Colorado-Boulder; their daughter attends the University of Kentucky.