(Louisville, KY) – The Kentucky Board of Education has completed the first round of interviews for the position of commissioner of education. The board interviewed 12 candidates over the past two days.

“We are impressed with the quality of the candidates we talked with,” said Board Chair Roger Marcum. “Each would bring solid experience and a unique perspective to the job.”

In May, after seeking public input, the board finalized a list of characteristics it is seeking in the next commissioner.

Marcum said it would be nearly impossible for one person to possess all of the characteristics, but that the board is committed to coming as close as possible.

“The board still could consider additional candidates,” Marcum said. “Our goal is to hire the best person for the job.”

The firm that is coordinating the search, Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc., will now conduct background and reference checks on the leading candidates. The board will review that information at a meeting August 25 before deciding on a list of finalists to interview. If everything stays on schedule, the board plans on conducting the last round of interviews August 28 and 29. The meetings will be held at the Embassy Suites in Lexington.

Marcum has said that the board would like to name a new commissioner by the time Commissioner Terry Holliday retires at the end of the month, or shortly thereafter. Anticipating that there may be a gap between the time Holliday leaves and the new commissioner can start, earlier this month, the board named Kevin Brown, associate commissioner and general counsel for the Kentucky Department of Education, as interim commissioner starting September 1.