Lizzette Reynolds

Tennessee Commissioner of Education

Lizzette Reynolds serves as Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education, a role she assumed in June 2023. Under her leadership, the state has achieved historic academic gains, including the highest third-grade ELA proficiency rate since standards were reset in 2017. 

She has also prioritized expanding student access to post-secondary credentials and workforce readiness opportunities. Prior to her appointment, Reynolds served as Vice President of Policy at the Foundation for Excellence in Education and held several federal and state roles, including positions under U.S. Secretaries of Education Rod Paige and Margaret Spellings, and Chief Deputy Commissioner at the Texas Education Agency. Reynolds holds an undergraduate degree from Southwestern University and is pursuing a Master of Science in Education from the University of Tennessee-Martin.