Dr. Kim Benton has been named interim state superintendent of education with Dr. Carey Wright set to retire on June 30.
Beginning July 1, Benton will be stepping in to fill the position, leaving her current position as the interim chief academic officer/deputy state superintendent for the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE).
“Dr. Benton has worked alongside Dr. Wright during most of her tenure and has been instrumental in helping to lead the state’s successful education reform efforts,” Mississippi State Board of Education (SBE) Chair Rosemary Aultman said. “The Board is confident Dr. Benton will continue the progress we have made in public education over the past decade as we begin the search for a permanent state superintendent.”
Benton has worked in public education in Mississippi for 40 years, moving up the ranks from being a teacher’s assistant, then a teacher, principal, and executive director of special populations and federal programs in the Meridian Public School District.
She previously served as MDE’s chief academic officer for six years before retiring from the agency in 2018 and later worked as a consultant and trainer for the Academic Development Institute.
In addition, she served as associate professor in Educational Leadership at William Carey University and as interim superintendent for the Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and Blind.
Proposals for the position of state superintendent will begin on June 1 with interviews from candidates expected to begin in the fall.
