Download Full Photo

Candice McQueen

Commissioner 
Education

Dr. Candice McQueen was sworn in as Tennessee’s commissioner of education on January 17, 2015. During her first year as commissioner, McQueen led a statewide effort to create a new strategic plan and vision for our schools called Tennessee Succeeds. The comprehensive plan provides aligned goals, priorities, and strategies focused on increasing postsecondary and career readiness for all of Tennessee’s 1 million students. 

McQueen also connected with over 10,000 teachers on the first leg of her Classroom Chronicles Tour, spending time in more than 75 school districts and 125 schools in 16 months. Under her leadership, McQueen worked to open lines of communication between the department and the public through avenues such as the Assessment Task Force and Assessment Task Force 2.0, Early Literacy Council, Career Forward Task Force, and the department’s inaugural Parent and Student Advisory Councils. In addition, she continued to oversee and participate in the department’s Teacher Advisory Council and the Governor’s Teacher Cabinet. Commissioner McQueen also worked alongside the governor and first lady of Tennessee to launch a comprehensive statewide literacy campaign called Read to be Ready, with the goal of having 75 percent of third graders reading on grade level by 2025. During this past year, McQueen also worked with the governor and the general assembly to pass the largest investment in K-12 education without a tax increase in Tennessee’s history.

Prior to her appointment as Commissioner of Education, McQueen served as senior vice president and dean of the college of education at Lipscomb University. Under her leadership, Lipscomb’s college of education and teacher preparation program were consistently highlighted as one of the top teacher training programs for quality and effectiveness. Prior to joining Lipscomb University, McQueen was awarded multiple awards for both her teaching and the curriculum design of a new magnet school.

She began her career as a classroom teacher, teaching in both public and private elementary and middle schools. Dr. McQueen has a bachelor's degree from Lipscomb, a master's degree from Vanderbilt, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas. She serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Tennessee and the Tennessee Board of Regents and was recently appointed to serve on the national board for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and as a commissioner for Education Commission of the States (ECS).

Presentations by Topic
Presentations by Event
McQueen's Minute

December 2016