With just a month and a half left in office, Governor Ralph Northam announced on Tuesday that he has appointed Frances Bradford as Secretary of Education following former Secretary Atif Qarni’s decision to leave the administration to accept a position as Managing Director at Temple University’s Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice in Philadelphia.

“Secretary Bradford has done tremendous work for Virginia’s higher education system, and I know she will continue to serve the Commonwealth well as our new Secretary of Education. I look forward to continuing to work with her on behalf of students, families, and teachers across Virginia,” said Northam said in a press release.

Prior to her current appointment, Bradford served in the Northam Administration as Deputy Secretary of Education, a position she also held briefly in the final days of Senator Mark Warner’s gubernatorial term. According to her biography on the Virginia Department of Education website, she previously worked for the College of William and Mary for fourteen years. In her time at William and Mary, she served as the Associate Vice President for Government Relations. Prior to that, she served in several communications and government relations roles at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. 

According to Bradford’s biography, she also serves on the Executive Board of the Virginia Network, an organization that promotes women’s leadership in higher education, and she previously served as the Chair of the task force for the National Higher Education Government Relations Conference.

Bradford will be taking over the role of secretary of education from Secretary Qarni, a former middle school teacher who has served in the capacity since day one of the Northam Administration. Qarni taught at Beville Middle School in Dale City. 

Prior to serving as secretary of education, Qarni ran for state senate in the 29th district in 2015, and before that, he ran for delegate in the 13th district in 2013. He also served on the Small Business Commission in the McAuliffe Administration.

“Former Secretary Qarni has served Virginia’s students well, and I am proud of the work we have done together to support public education and raise teacher pay,” said Northam. “I wish him the best of luck in his new role.” https://bitcoinbetsport.com

Northam’s cabinet was the first in Virginia history to be majority-women. With Secretary Bradford’s appointment, women now hold over 2/3rds of all cabinet-level positions in the administration.

Bradford is expected to serve as secretary of education for the commonwealth until Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin is sworn in on Jan. 15, 2022. Youngkin has yet to announce who he will appoint to fill the position. As secretary of education, Bradford will likely serve an important role in the transition between the two administrations.