NASHVILLE – Gov. Phil Bredesen today named a former aide-turned-lobbyist as interim executive director of the state’s efforts to spend federal Race to the Top money for education.
Patrick Smith will lead implementation of Tennessee’s First to the Top plan, which will invest a $501 million grant in public education reform initiatives that hope to improve student achievement over the next four years.
“Patrick is well-known and respected by education stakeholders across the state,” Bredesen said in a news release.
Smith has been a partner at Southern Strategy Group, a Nashville lobbying group. According to the state Bureau of Ethics and Campaign Finance records, he is registered on behalf of seven clients, including Education Networks of America, which manages network and communication services to customers in the education, library and government sectors in states including Tennessee.
Other Smith lobby clients include EPB, Chattanooga’s municipal electric service.
Prior to that, Democrat Bredesen had made Smith deputy director in the Office of State Planning and Policy where he worked on projects to modernize and improve Tennessee’s K-12 Basic Education Program funding formula and increase the rigor and relevance of academic standards in Tennessee.