Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin HuffmanTennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman has appointed Kathleen Airhart, director of Putnam County Schools, as the Education Department’s new deputy commissioner.
Huffman announced the appointment Wednesday in a news release, as well as the appointment of Danielle Mezera as the assistant commissioner of career and technical education. Both appointments are effective Jan. 1.
Airhart has led Putnam County Schools since 2007 and recently was named the 2012 Tennessee Superintendent of the Year. She previously worked as a classroom teacher and supervisor for special education.
Mezera, currently the director of the Nashville Mayor’s Office of Children and Youth, previously worked as coordinator for Children and Youth Services for Metro Social and as the director of the Vanderbilt University Community Outreach Partnership Center.