‘Right leader at the right time’: Nevada governor names new state schools superintendent

Gov. Joe Lombardo appointed Victor Wakefield as the new Nevada superintendent of public instruction, the governor’s office announced Monday.

“Victor is the right leader at the right time for Nevada’s public education system,” Lombardo said in a statement.

Wakefield will replace interim superintendent Steve Canavero, who filled the position after Jhone Ebert became Clark County School District superintendent. He starts Oct. 27. The superintendent of public instruction oversees the Department of Education and implements policies.

Wakefield began his career as a middle school English teacher in Gary, Indiana. He then worked for more than 16 years with Teach for America in various roles, including vice president for special projects, national vice president for regions and executive director of the Las Vegas chapter.

He recruited hundreds of teachers nationwide and led Teach for America’s training for 250 early-career educators in Clark County, according to the governor’s office. Wakefield also managed Teach for America’s pandemic response and onboarded nearly 3,000 teachers.

Wakefield was also a senior fellow at Nevada’s Kenny Guinn Center and earned his doctorate in education from Johns Hopkins University, where he has also taught courses, according to the governor’s office. He is an alumnus of Leadership Las Vegas and the Leadership Institute of Nevada.

Lombardo said Wakefield received a unanimous recommendation from the State Board of Education, on which he served between 2015 and 2017.

“I look forward to working closely with him to build on the monumental reforms we have already made and ensure that every child in Nevada has access to a high-quality education,” Lombardo said in the statement.

Wakefield said in a statement he is excited to return to Nevada to “help advance Governor Lombardo’s vision that every Nevada student receives an education that unlocks opportunities, propels them into the workforce, and strengthens society.”

Ebert congratulated Wakefield on his appointment in a Monday statement.

“I look forward to collaborating with him to lift up all students,” she said in the statement. “Working together, I am confident we can keep the momentum moving in the right direction for Nevada students and educators.”

Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.