PROVIDENCE – The chairman of the R.I. Governor’s Workforce Board is being tapped by Gov. Daniel J. McKee to become the next state education board chair.
McKee announced Friday that he has selected Michael Grey to serve as the next chair for the R.I. Board of Education. If Grey’s appointment is approved by the R.I. Senate, he will replace Barbara S. Cottam, who resigned as board chair in October 2022 to take a new job as senior advisor for external affairs with the U.S. Department of Commerce, led by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo, in Washington, D.C.
McKee says Grey – the New England president of property management services firm FirstService Residential – was appointed in 2016 to lead the Governor’s Workforce Board to convene the entire state workforce development resources under a single entity. Additionally, Grey, McKee said, became an ex-officio member of the R.I. Board of Education for Elementary and Secondary Education and Post-Secondary Education.
“I am honored to be asked to contribute to the Rhode Island community in this role,” Grey said in a statement. “Education of our youth is more than the teaching and learning that happens inside the school building. It is also how we, as a statewide community, enrich the lives of children in our state. I look forward to supporting our statewide efforts.”
McKee said in a statement that the state is “glad” that it has a partner such as Grey to lead the education board. “Improving outcomes will take all of us working together both inside and outside the classroom and I look forward to working with Mike and the members of the Board to get this done,” McKee said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
Interesting lack of management skills by McKee, putting the totally unqualified guy like Grey in such an important position. Duh?