McGuireWoods Consulting senior advisor Jim Dyke has been appointed to Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger’s transition team.
Dyke has extensive public service experience that includes being Virginia’s secretary of education under Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, as well as a domestic policy advisor to former Vice President Walter Mondale. He is one of two former education secretaries to join Gov.-elect Spanberger’s transition team.
In her campaign, Spanberger has emphasized her “Strengthening Virginia Schools” plan which aims to lower education costs, increase school support services and prioritize education access.
Spanberger’s administration aims to “appoint public school champions who will demand that the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is effective and efficient, with a clear mission of giving every child the opportunity to reach their full potential,” according to her website.
Dyke is looking forward to sharing his expertise with Spanberger and her administration, he said in an interview with Virginia Mercury.
“I know what it’s like to have to transition into office and actually to govern, and to the extent I can,” Dyke said. “I’m looking forward to helping in any way that she thinks is appropriate.”
Dyke is joined by several other Virginia education experts, including: a former assistant secretary of education, a former senior advisor to the U.S. Department of Education, a former school board member and the chief academic officer of Spotsylvania County Public Schools.
“These Virginians not only bring together deep ties from across every region of our commonwealth, but the experience, integrity and know-how required to deliver the pragmatic and principled leadership that Virginians overwhelmingly voted for this November,” Spanberger said in a statement.