Governor LePage Appoints Dr. William Beardsley to Lead Department of Education

Contact: Adrienne Bennett, Press Secretary, 207-287-2531

AUGUSTA – Governor Paul R. LePage announced today that Dr. William Beardsley will serve as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Education. Dr. Beardsley is former president of Husson University and served as commissioner of the Department of Conservation.

“Bill has a strong track record in Maine and elsewhere, broad constituency support and a personal interest in education,” said Governor LePage. “Bill has contributed greatly to the Administration already and we are fortunate to have his support again.”

Dr. Beardsley was president of Husson University from 1987 to 2010. In 2011, Dr. Beardsley was appointed as commissioner of the Department of Conservation until the agency merged with the Department of Agriculture in 2012, creating the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

In 2012, Governor LePage appointed Dr. Beardsley to the state Board of Education and earlier this year appointed him to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Council. He will continue to work with both groups.

Tom Desjardin will resume his role as Deputy Commissioner, concluding his six month period of service as Acting Commissioner as authorized by statute. This follows the retirement on April 17 of former Acting Commissioner Jim Rier.