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The Board of Regents today approved the appointment of James N. Baldwin as Chief of Staff of the State Education Department.Ìý The appointment becomes effective on October 14, 2010.

Since 2002, Baldwin has served as the District Superintendent of Questar III, the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) for Rensselaer, Columbia and parts of Greene Counties.Ìý As chief executive of the BOCES, Baldwin was responsible for the overall administration, operation and financial planning of the organization.

State Education Commissioner David M. Steiner said, "During the last ten months, I have had numerous interactions with Jim in his capacity as Chair of the 37 BOCES District Superintendents and have been very impressed with Jim's deep knowledge of K-12 education at multiple levels, his high-level administrative skills, and his very sophisticated reading of the always complex educational environment. I believe he will be an invaluable member of the SED team as we implement the New York State Board of Regents’ vision for education reform."

Baldwin's distinguished career in public service spans more than 30 years. Baldwin served as Executive Deputy Secretary of State for New York State from 1983-1995 where he was the Chief Operating Officer of the Department of State, overseeing programmatic, administrative and legal functions. Previously, he was Counsel to the New York State Assembly. He has also served as Deputy Corporation Counsel for the City of Troy. Prior to his appointment as District Superintendent, Baldwin was school attorney and then Chief Operating Officer for Questar III. He was an elected member of the East Greenbush Central School District Board of Education from 1996 to 2002.

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