Former Seminole resident, local pastor and state representative Tom Newell has been tapped by Governor Stitt to serve on the Oklahoma State Department of Education Turnaround Team.

The announcement of Newell’s appointment was made Thursday right after Stitt announced that he had named Lindel Fields as the new State Superintendent of Education. Fields replaces Ryan Walters, who resigned effective Oct. 1 to be the Chief Executive Officer of Teacher Freedom Alliance, a new national organization founded by the Freedom Foundation.

Stitt’s office said the Turnaround Team is a group of “high caliber Oklahomans with special experience in education and organizational leadership to assist in the implementation of a new future for the Department of Education.”

The team consists of Dan Hamlin, Newell, Megan Oftedal, Connie Reilly, Nellie Sanders, Kristin Stephens and Tara Thompson.

Newell was named Stitt’s Chief of Staff in November. Prior to that, he served as vice president for the Center for Culture and Family at the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs (OCPA). He previously served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 2010 to 2016, becoming the first Republican elected to represent House District 28, which includes Seminole County.

Prior to his time in public office, Newell pastored churches in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. Since leaving the legislature, Newell had served as the government affairs director for the Foundation for Government Accountability, the CEO of SALLT (Salt and Light Leadership Training), and the vice president of government affairs for Yes. Every. Kid.

Newell received his undergraduate degree in Bible and Pastoral Ministries from Mid-America Christian University before earning an MBA from Liberty University. Tom Newell and his wife, Erin, reside just outside of Oklahoma City.

In his Thursday announcement, Stitt called on the state legislature to send a state question to the ballot to make the state superintendent an appointed position.

“In my last seven years, it has been clear that the operation of this agency and the well-being of Oklahoma’s students have taken a back seat to the political ambitions of the individual who holds this position,” Stitt said. “At best, the agenda of the Governor and the superintendent are out of alignment. At worst, the superintendent has actively campaigned to unseat the Governor. Our students are too precious of a resource to leave to the whims of politicians. Now is the perfect time to consider depoliticizing the Department of Education by allowing future governors to appoint the role of superintendent.”