In an announcement today, Governor-elect Jay Inslee named Renton Schools Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel as his chief of staff.

Heuschel, one of three co-chairs of Inslee’s transition team, led Renton schools for seven years and last year was a finalist for national superintendent of the year. She also served as deputy superintendent of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction for six years.

Inslee pointed to Heuschel’s experience in Renton, particularly her leadership style and use of metrics, as reasons for the choice. He described the selection as “about as far away from status quo as you can get.”