Minneapolis interim superintendent announces changes to cabinet positions

The new organizational structure includes an assistant and a senior adviser.

July 13, 2022 at 3:03PM
Rochelle Cox, interim superintendent of Minneapolis Public Schools. (Provided/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Minneapolis Public Schools Interim Superintendent Rochelle Cox announced her 12 cabinet members and their positions in an e-mail Tuesday to department leaders and principals.

Eric Moore, previously the senior officer of equity, research and accountability, will move into the role of senior adviser to the superintendent, focused on the comprehensive district design and student enrollment. Moore has been on leave since spring, when a string of text messages between Moore and a teachers union president was publicized in a blog claiming the messages suggested Moore wanted the superintendent job.

Under Cox's new organizational structure, Moore's previous job has been eliminated, as were other senior officer roles, including in operations and communications. The work led by those roles will continue within the superintendent's office, according to Cox's e-mail. The executive director of college and career readiness position was also eliminated, and the district will hire an executive director of student support services.

Other changes include:

Ryan Strack, the district's administrator of board and government relations will move into a new role of assistant to the superintendent and board. He will work as the chief adviser to the superintendent, handling the day-to-day operations of the district and superintendent's office.

Shawn Harris-Berry, who was serving as an associate superintendent, will move into a new role as senior officer of schools, overseeing the district's associate superintendents, the athletics office and the contract alternative schools department.

Ibrahima Diop will move into the role of leading both the district's finance and operational departments. He was previously the senior financial officer.

Derek Francis will also move from his role as manager of counseling services to become the executive director of equity and school climate.

"One of my main goals during my tenure as interim superintendent is to ensure that the people and programs are in place to bring our strategic plan to life," Cox wrote in a statement. "I carefully looked over the former administrative structure and made changes that I feel will help us get to that point."

The cabinet members will attend a leadership retreat later this month, Cox wrote.

Former superintendent Ed Graff had 15 cabinet members at the end of this past school year.

about the writer

about the writer

Mara Klecker

Reporter

Mara Klecker covers suburban K-12 education for the Star Tribune.

See More

More from Minneapolis

card image

From small businesses to giants like Target, retailers are benefitting from the $10 billion industry for South Korean pop music, including its revival of physical album sales.