The State Board of Education appointed Clay Long to serve as the next administrator of the Idaho Division of Career-Technical Education on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old has served as chief of staff to Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling since July. Previously, Long worked as a CTE instructor and administrator in the West Ada and Nampa school districts.
State Board members selected Long from a pool of 20 applicants.
“The State Board expects Mr. Long to build upon the success already achieved by the division to support student readiness with needed industry skills,” State Board President Debbie Critchfield said in a written statement. “Clay has field experience, has established contacts and relationships with a variety of industry and education partners and he understands how important successful career technical programs are for Idaho students and our state’s workforce needs.”
Long’s first day on the job is scheduled for Dec. 9. He will receive an annual salary of $125,000, the State Board announced.
Long succeeds retiring CTE Administrator Dwight Johnson, who has led the division since 2014. Johnson announced his intention to retire in August but said he would remain in the position until a successor was named.
The State Board initiated a nationwide search for Johnson’s successor in September. A 14-member committee comprising legislators, State Board of Education officials, business leaders, educators and administrators assisted with the search.
Long earned an Education Specialist degree in education leadership from Northwest Nazarene University; a master’s degree in education leadership from Concordia University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lewis-Clark State College.
