Nebraska State Board of Education announces finalists for state’s next commissioner

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Nebraska State Board of Education is one step closer to picking the state’s next commissioner of education.

The Nebraska Department of Education announced Tuesday that its ad hoc search committee had found four finalists for the position.

The finalists include:

• Dr. Lisa Coons, Chief Academic Officer for the Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville, Tennessee
• Dr. Brian Maher, CEO and Executive Director of the South Dakota Board of Regents in Pierre, South Dakota
• Dr. Melissa Poloncic, Superintendent, DC West Community Schools in Valley, Nebraska
• Dr. Summer Stephens, Superintendent of Schools and CTE Administrator for Churchill County School District in Fallon, Nevada

Each of the finalists cited a variety of teaching and educational leadership roles across the country in their resumes.

Three of the four candidates carry degrees and experience from Nebraska schools.

The department says the finalists were selected with the help of a recruiting firm and community input.

On March 30, the board will conduct public interviews with the finalists followed by break-out sessions between candidates and department staff.

The board will then meet on March 31 to select Nebraska’s next commissioner of education.