State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Appoints Deputy Superintendent of Government Affairs

SACRAMENTO —State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced today that he has appointed a new Deputy Superintendent for the California Department of Education’s (CDE) Government Affairs Division.

Khieem Jackson will lead the Government Affairs Division and serve as CDE’s liaison with local, state, and federal elected officials and government agencies. Jackson brings a wealth of expertise to CDE, with a diverse background in federal, state, and local government advocacy, along with extensive international experience as an officer in the United States Marine Corps (USMC).

“I am thrilled to have Khieem Jackson join our team as Deputy Superintendent of Government Affairs,” Thurmond said. “He is a strong advocate for students who need the most assistance, and brings invaluable insight from throughout the world supporting service members and their families.”

Jackson recently served as Director of Government Relations for the San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD), where he provided executive level policy and legislative guidance on critical issues such as curriculum, transportation, and energy. While at SDUSD, Jackson also advocated for career technical education incentive grants and increased support for school districts with refugee students.

Prior to SDUSD, Jackson served as Director of Federal Legislative Affairs with the USMC in Oceanside. In that role, Jackson worked with Governor Brown’s office to establish a monitoring process to measure the educational success of military students and advised military leadership on State education bills.

This came after Jackson served as Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs to the U.S. House of Representative for the Marine Corps. In that role, he traveled to more than 75 countries in nearly five years, on numerous occasions meeting with heads of state, foreign dignitaries, and U.S. Department of State ambassadors and staff.

As CDE’s Deputy Superintendent of Government Affairs, Jackson will be responsible for the administration of all departmental activities relating to state and federal legislation. Jackson replaces former Division Director Debra Brown, who is now the Director of Education and Government Relations at Children Now in Sacramento.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100