Governor Gordon Will Miss Jill Balow's 'Experience & Expertise'

Recently, Jill Balow announced her resignation from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction position in Wyoming, a position she has held since 2015. Now, Governor Gordon is tasked with finding her replacement but, before he does that, he offered some parting words to Balow.

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“I have enjoyed working alongside Superintendent Balow for the past seven years in my roles as Treasurer and Governor, making her the second-longest currently serving statewide elected officer," Governor Gordon wrote. "We will miss her experience and expertise. She has worked to improve our state’s education system, and I thank her for her efforts. Her service to the State has been exemplary, and I wish her well in her new role.”

Balow's resignation is effective as of January 16, 2022.

Currently, Kari Eakins, the Chief Policy Officer for the Wyoming Department of Education, will service as the interim Superintendent.

Governor Gordon has informed the Republican Party Central Committee that they have 15 days to submit three candidates for the Governor's consideration. Following that, Governor Gordon will have five days to appoint a new Superintendent from the choices he was given. That individual will serve out the remainder of Balow's term.

"Serving as State Superintendent for the last seven years has been the greatest honor and challenge of my life," Ballow said in a written statement. "Governor-elect Youngkin made educational transformation the centerpiece of his campaign. There is no more serious time to be in K-12 education governance than now, and Virginia is on the cutting edge of this battle for the future of our public schools. The work we will do to restore parents’ voices in education, push for innovation and student success, enhance school choice, and to eliminate political ideology from the classroom will set a new tone in Virginia and the nation. We have made great progress on these very items during my tenure in Wyoming."