Chris Nicastro, 58, the superintendent of the Hazelwood school district in suburban St. Louis, takes over Missouri’s top education position on Aug. 1. She will replace Kent King, who died of cancer in January. Ms. Nicastro, who was selected by the gubernatorially appointed state board of education, is the first woman to be chosen as the state’s education commissioner since the office was created in 1947.
A version of this article appeared in the July 15, 2009 edition of Education Week
