After Rudy Crew abruptly accepted a position at one of New York’s universities, Oregon’s education chief left his $280,000 annual salary and moved back east. In his absence, the Oregon Education Investment Board unanimously named  former Springfield schools superintendent Nancy Golden as the new officer.

Golden brings more than 30 years of experience to the position, being a long-time superintendent, an alternate chair of the OEIB and Gov. Kitzhaber’s education policy adviser in 2011.

“Her leadership ensures that we don’t miss a beat during this transition and that we continue our progress building a world-class education system,” Kitzhaber said in a press release. “We’re lucky she’s here.”

Golden will start on Aug. 1, which will leave the position temporarily vacant due to a clause in Crew’s contract that only required him to work through July.

The Chief Education Officer was established to integrate the the education system from pre-kindergarten to college to enhance career-readiness when Senate Bill 909 was passed in 2011.

Golden, 62, specialized in special and primary education before receiving a Ph.D. and becoming the Springfield superintendent.