Shawn Joseph, interim superintendent of Prince George's County (Maryland) Public Schools, has been chosen by County Executive Aisha N. Braveboy to fill the job permanently.
His selection comes weeks after a search committee provided her the names of three finalists.
The Prince George's school board must approve the nomination, and Maryland Superintendent of Schools Carey M. Wright must also sign off on the appointment.
Braveboy said input gathered by the search committee helped her make her decision. She said Joseph was consistently rated "the highest and strongest candidate" in interviews with panels that included parents, special education advocates and community leaders.
The Prince George's district has more than 130,000 students and nearly 20,000 employees.
Joseph, a former Prince George's deputy superintendent, was named the district's interim leader last year after Millard House II stepped down.
Braveboy said the school system was facing "significant challenges" when Joseph stepped into the interim role. Among them were stalled teacher contract negotiations, she said. House's departure came shortly after the teachers union passed a "no confidence" resolution and accused him of causing "widespread dysfunction."
Braveboy said teacher vacancies have declined by 52% since Joseph stepped in, and that the impasse between the school system and teachers has ended.
Joseph summed up his leadership philosophy in two words: "children first."
Before he was appointed as interim, Joseph was an assistant professor at Howard University, and he previously served as superintendent of Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Seaford School District in Delaware.
The Nashville school board pushed him out in 2019 amid criticism over his handling of sexual misconduct allegations involving district employees, but he has denied any wrongdoing.
