FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2025  

Nugent named KSDE Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Learning Services
Atchison superintendent and 2025 Kansas Superintendent of the Year  succeeds Dr. Ben Proctor

TOPEKA - With more than 30 years of experience in public education, Dr. Renee Nugent has been named the deputy commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education’s division of learning services. She will begin her duties on July 1.  

“I love education,” Nugent said. “It’s just beyond comprehension to me that I’m getting the opportunity to impact schools across the entire state of Kansas.”   

Currently the superintendent of Atchison USD 409 and 2025 Kansas Superintendent of the Year, Nugent was approved for the position by the Kansas State Board of Education following an executive session during the board’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, March 11. She will succeed Dr. Ben Proctor as he returns to Hesston USD 460 to serve as superintendent.   

“As we continue to work through our KESA school improvement model and employ the science of reading, Dr. Nugent brings experience and enthusiasm to lead us in these important initiatives and all aspects of education,” said Kansas Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson. “We’re proud to have her on our team as we work toward leading the world in the success of each student.”  

A native of Highland in northeast Kansas, Nugent is a graduate of Doniphan West High School (formally Highland High) and Highland Community College. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in education from Benedictine College in 1992. Her career began as an English and journalism teacher at South Sioux City Junior High, in northeast Nebraska.    

Nugent later earned a master’s degree in education from West Texas A&M University, a K-12 leadership license from Emporia State University and a K-12 school counseling license from Fort Hays State University. She was the assistant superintendent of student services at Garden City USD 457 for six years before becoming the superintendent in Atchison in 2019. She completed her doctorate in educational leadership from Kansas State University in 2020.   

Nugent said she knew from an early age that education, in some form or another, would be part of her future.   

“I come from a family of farmers and educators,” she said. “It’s really just in my blood that I would choose one of those ways of life. I thought about pursuing journalism. But then I wanted to be an English teacher and never looked back.”  

Soon after returning to Kansas after having been in Nebraska and Texas, Nugent said it was the first time in all her years in education she believed “we have a true statewide vision for our students.” In her first 30 days on the KSDE team, she said she plans to build relationships and “hit the ground running” to review the results of the first year of the KESA 2.0 district-level accreditation system.   

“We have to look at the feedback we’re getting from districts and see what’s going well and what we have to work on,” she said. “I’m also excited to have a research team for our state assessment and career and technical education processes and evaluate how those processes are working. I’m thrilled to be part of a team that has a true vision for the state.”