Concord Man a Finalist for Top Education Post in Nebraska

Reports out of Nebraska list a Concord man as one of four finalists for a top education post in the Cornhusker State.

Michael Sentance, of Concord, was among the names released by the Nebraska State Board of Education, according to an AP report posted on the website of WOWT, an NBC affiliate in Nebraska.

According to Sentance’s resume—as it appears on the Nebraska Department of Education website—the Bayberry Road resident served as chief education advisor to former Massachusetts Governors William Weld and Paul Cellucci, and also served as the Secretary of Education’s Regional Representative in New England following an appointment to the post in October 2001 by President George W. Bush.

More recently, Sentance was US President of Education Reform Strategies for Tribal Group, USA, a UK-based consultancy.

Along with Sentance, reports identify the following as finalists to be Nebraska’s new state education commissioner:

• Matthew Blomstedt, executive director of the Nebraska Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council
• Virginia Moon, a recent interim superintendent of the Omaha Public Schools in Nebraska
• Norman Ridder, the superintendent of the Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Missouri

Reports indicate the Board of Education could name the new commissioner on Wednesday or Thursday.

The finalist chosen will succeed Roger Breed, who retired this past summer. According to a report in the Springfield News-Leader, Breed had held the position since 2009 and made $211,650.