President-elect Donald Trump has announced Tennessee’s former education commissioner Penny Schwinn to be the next US Deputy Secretary of Education.
According to a report from NBC affiliate WBIR Knoxville, the announcement was made on the social media platform Truth Social.
Schwinn had previously served as commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Education from 2019 to 2023. WBIR notes that she stepped down from the role after the 2022-2023 school year.
Before that, she was a high school educator, assistant superintendent, school principal, and school board member.
Trump says Schwinn has experience from the Texas Education Agency as deputy commissioner of standards and engagement, deputy commissioner of special populations and monitoring, and chief deputy commissioner of academics.
“A former teacher herself, Penny became the founding principal of a charter school, because she believes in the power of school choice, and is committed to delivering the American dream to the next generation by returning education back to the states,” Trump said. “Congratulations to Penny and her wonderful family!”
