Press Release  Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to Hold K-12 Commissioner Finalists Interviews Thursday

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) today announced the three finalists for the next commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The finalists will participate in interviews before BESE this Thursday, April 17 at MassBay Community College in Wellesley from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The interviews are open to the public and will be livestreamed.  

The three finalists are:

• Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative Founder and CEO Jack Elsey
• Former Texas Education Agency Deputy Commissioner of School Programs Lily Laux
• Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez 

Forty-two candidates from across the country applied for the position through executive search firm Isaacson, Miller, which BESE retained to help conduct the search. The BESE Preliminary Screening Committee‘s (PSC) four voting members interviewed nine candidates in March and selected the finalists using feedback from non-voting PSC members, including more than two dozen educators, school administrators, community leaders and key stakeholders.  

“We’re excited to have three highly qualified and passionate leaders as finalists for the next DESE commissioner,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “This public interview process will allow the Board and Massachusetts families and educators to hear from each candidate about their vision for equity, excellence, and innovation in our public schools. We look forward to an engaging and transparent discussion.” 

“This is one of the most important decisions the Board will make, and we’re committed to making it in full view of the public,” said BESE Chair Katherine Craven. “We want to ensure families, educators, and communities have the opportunity to hear from the finalists and learn how they plan to support and strengthen our schools.” 

For more information about the DESE commissioner search up to this point, visit doe.mass.edu/commissioner-search/. 

Background on the candidates:   

Jack Elsey

Jack Elsey has been a results-oriented educator for nearly twenty years and has led school districts and non-profits for well over a decade. In 2022, Mr. Elsey founded the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative (MEWI), an organization committed to addressing the teacher shortage crisis and building a more robust educator pipeline for Michigan. MEWI’s first project, Talent Together, an innovative set of teacher pathway programs led by 56 Michigan Intermediate School Districts, is the largest collaboration of its kind between school districts in Michigan history and has over 1,100 candidates in registered apprenticeship pathways to teacher certification. Before establishing MEWI, Mr. Elsey led the Detroit Children’s Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to improving public schools in Detroit. Mr. Elsey has served in multiple district leader capacities, including Chief of Innovation and Incubation at Chicago Public Schools and Assistant Superintendent at Detroit Public Schools. He began his career as a middle school teacher with Teach For America in New York City and is a graduate of Wake Forest University, Pace University, and the Broad Center at Yale University. Mr. Elsey is a Broad Residency alum, Future Chief with Chiefs For Change, and has served as an executive coach to dozens of school district and nonprofit leaders. He serves on several local non-profit boards including chairing the Diploma Equity Project and supporting Black Leaders Detroit’s Ally Council. 

Lily Laux

Dr. Lily Laux is the executive director of Economic Mobility Systems and is an accomplished education leader with extensive experience strengthening educational systems to improve student outcomes. Most recently as Deputy Commissioner of School Programs at the Texas Education Agency, she led initiatives serving 5.5 million students across 1,200 school districts. During her seven-year tenure, she transformed the agency's approach from compliance-focused to outcomes-driven, overseeing teaching, learning, and academics. She led key initiatives including implementing historic school finance reform, redesigning literacy education, and expanding pathways to college and career success. A proud product of rural public schools in Western Massachusetts, Dr. Laux's education career includes experience as a middle school teacher, instructional coach, and teacher educator. She holds a PhD in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in history, political theory, sociology, and education, an MAT in Curriculum and Instructional Leadership from the University of Memphis, and a BA from Columbia University. 

Pedro Martinez

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez is a nationally recognized superintendent with a track record of creating comprehensive, multi-year solutions that advance equity and economic mobility. He has spent more than two decades in K-12 education leadership, including 13 years as a superintendent. Under his leadership, CPS has expanded full-day early childhood classrooms, posted some of the nation's top elementary-level post-pandemic reading and math gains, achieved record-high graduation rates, scholarships earned, and college credits obtained in high school. Prior to joining CPS, Mr. Martinez served as the Superintendent of the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), where he received statewide recognition from the Governor and Commissioner of Education as the fastest improving large district in Texas in 2018, 2019, and 2021. Before joining SAISD, Mr. Martinez served as Superintendent in Residence for the Nevada Department of Education and Superintendent for the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada. 

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