Commissioner Ken Wagner began his education career when he was elected to his local school committee at age 18. He has since then worked as a school psychologist, an assistant principal, and a middle-school principal, and in 2009 he joined the New York State Department of Education, where he ultimately served as Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy. In August, he began his tenure as the Rhode Island Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. He holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Hofstra University, and he lives in Providence with his wife and their two standard poodles.