Former Tennessee commissioner of education, Penny Schwinn, to lead UF's K-12 outreach

University of Florida President Ben Sasse and his administration have created a new role to carry out a series of initiatives throughout Florida’s K-12 schools.

The job, which focuses on pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade outreach, will help expand space and aeronautics throughout all grade levels, provide better access to college-level work to high school students, support college readiness and further partnerships with charter schools, UF announced.

Penny Schwinn, Tennessee’s former commissioner of education, will lead the initiatives as the university’s first vice president of PK-12 and pre-bachelor programs. Her salary is set at $367,500.

“The University of Florida is a special place with an incredible team,” Schwinn said in a news release. “I am excited to join a team that is passionate about education, focused on students, and dedicated to supporting teachers. I want to help put UF’s incredible knowledge, data, and expertise into more classrooms in each of Florida’s 67 counties so we can help make sure every student has the opportunity to succeed.”

Starting her career with Teach for America in Baltimore, the 41-year-old has multiple high-level leadership positions around the country, including chief deputy commissioner of education in Texas and assistant secretary of education in Delaware.

Schwinn earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California - Berkeley, a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a doctorate degree from UC’s Claremont. She also holds administration and teaching credentials, as well as several certificates in administration, education and management, some being from Harvard Business School and the University of Southern California.

In Tennessee, Schwinn became the youngest education commissioner in state history, first person of color and first woman to serve in the role. During her four-year tenure, she helped restructure the state’s school finance system of $9 billion and implemented statewide training and professional support structures for reading teachers while working with Republican and Democratic administrations, the release said.

First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona have recognized Schwinn for her efforts.

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But no challenge may have been as difficult as navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

During that time, Schwinn helped launch Tennessee’s largest tutoring effort in the country, summer programs and helped the state provide access to advanced placement courses. She was supportive of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s Education Savings Account program for school vouchers that used state funding to send low-income students to private schools.

The program was approved in 2019 and gave eligible families about $8,000 to pay for tuition and expenses, according to U.S. News & World Report.

In 2021, Schwinn ran into a potential conflict of interest issue. The state’s pandemic recovery plan included an $8 million contract with the New York-based company The New Teacher Project (TNTP) which her husband had worked for as a contractor. She filed a conflict report and said she wouldn’t be involved with the contract, The Tennesse Outlook reported.

The group provided educator training and reading assistance for pre-K through fourth grade. The group’s contract was later extended.

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But Schwinn now comes to the Sunshine State’s flagship public university. Last week, UF was named the No. 1 public university in the country by Wall Street Journal. It has also received a more high-profile and coveted No. 5 ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

Sasse said he is thrilled that Schwinn is joining his cabinet and UF team.

“We’re passionate about giving Florida’s kids opportunities to succeed, and Penny brings decades of bipartisan experience to our team as we think about programs that can take more of UF’s amazing and life-changing work into K-12 classrooms,” he said in the release. “The University of Florida has Ivy-like admissions, but we’re not sitting in ivory towers. As the state’s flagship university, we’re committed to expanding opportunity across our state.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Penny Schwinn selected by Ben Sasse for new UF role