Just three weeks after qualifying to seek re-election to a third term as State School Superintendent, Kathy Cox will be leaving Georgia next month for an education-related job in Washington, D.C.
Cox announced May 17 she will leave office on June 30 to become the founding CEO of the U.S. Education Delivery Institute, a pro-education reform non-profit organization.
“I will greatly miss my colleagues and friends in Georgia, especially at the Department of Education,” Cox said during a news conference. “But I feel confident that I will be leaving the department and Georgia’s public K-12 system better than I found it. And in this new position, I will have many opportunities to work with leaders across the country, including Georgia, so I will still be able to help Georgia continue making great progress.”
Gov. Sonny Perdue called Cox a “passionate advocate” for Georgia students. “She pushed strongly for a more rigorous curriculum, which is preparing our students to compete on the global stage,” the governor said in a prepared statement. “While we will miss her here in Georgia, I share her excitement in this new opportunity.”
Perdue said he will appoint a successor to Cox when she leaves office.