Atlanta Board of Education appoints Erroll B. Davis APS interim superintendent

        The Atlanta Board of Education has appointed Erroll B. Davis Jr.  interim superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools, effectively July 1, 2011.  The Board made the appointment at a Special Legislative Meeting Monday afternoon.

          Mr. Davis is chancellor of the University System of Georgia, a position he assumed in early 2006.  He is scheduled to retire from the position on June 30, 2011.

          Mr. Davis previously served as chairman of the board of Alliant Energy Corporation, an energy holding company with $8.3 billion in total assets.  He assumed that position in 2000.

          “We are pleased that a person of Mr. Davis’ experience and reputation has graciously agreed to take the APS helm on an interim basis during this time of challenge for both the Board and the district,” said Board Chair Khaatim Sherrer El. “The Board has the utmost faith in Mr. Davis’ ability to help us stay on course to resolving the issues currently impacting the Board and the district.”

          Mr. Davis’ higher education experience includes serving as a member of the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents from 1987 to 1994, and as a former chairman of the board of trustees of Carnegie Mellon University.  He currently serves as a member of the Southern Regional Education Board and was previously a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Chicago.

          A native of Pittsburgh, Mr. Davis holds a bachelor of science in electrical engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA in finance degree from the University of Chicago.

          Mr. Davis’ appointment as APS interim superintendent remains in effect until the Atlanta Board of Education names a permanent replacement for Superintendent Dr. Beverly L. Hall, whose contract with the Board expires June 30, 2011.