The Mitchell School District’s longtime superintendent will serve as the next secretary of the South Dakota Department of Education, Gov. Kristi Noem’s Office announced Tuesday.

Joe Graves has been superintendent in Mitchell since 2000, according to the announcement. He began teaching in 1986 and served as superintendent of districts in Iowa between 1991 and 2000.

“Joe is a wonderful fit to lead our Department of Education and to help me achieve our goal of making South Dakota the leader for K-12 education in the nation,” Noem said in the release.

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