State Superintendent of Education Dr. Eric Mackey will provide the keynote address at Troy University’s summer commencement exercises on July 28 in Trojan Arena.

Nearly 430 students representing 26 U.S. states and 11 countries outside the U.S. will participate in the exercises that begin at 10 a.m. Tickets are required for the ceremony. As part of the ceremony one Air Force and two Army ROTC cadets will commission into their respective branch.

Among the 232 undergraduate students and nearly 200 graduate students participating will be two who are receiving the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Sport Management. 

Dr. Mackey was named state superintendent in 2018, and has focused on innovative initiatives outlined in the strategic plan, Alabama Achieves, including the Alabama Literacy Act, STEM, Career Technical Education, and workforce development. He recognizes the importance of the whole child approach in promoting the long-term development and success of all children.

During his tenure, high school graduation and college and career readiness rates have increased with Alabama’s high school seniors of 2020 graduating at 90.6 percent. More than 87 percent of Alabama high school students are currently enrolled in at least one career technical education class and Alabama has been ranked first in the South Central Region for workforce development in 2022.

Through his leadership, Alabama has made significant changes resulting in improvements in student outcomes. In 2022, Alabama was the only state that showed improvement in both reading and math, rising 12 spots, on The Nation’s Report Card – NAEP. Alabama high school graduation and college and career readiness rates have increased with Alabama’s high school seniors graduating at 91 percent and ranking first in the nation for 2020. Alabama leads the nation in COVID recovery and continues to rise in national rankings including being recognized as one of the top six states in the nation for Computer Science and fifth in the nation for Financial Literacy. 

Professional development opportunities for educators have expanded with Alabama being ranked top five in the nation for the number of new National Board Certified Teachers – and more than18,000 early childhood education teachers being trained on the science of reading and 97 teachers becoming Certified Academic Language Therapists (CALTs).

Prior to being named State Superintendent, he served as Executive Director of the School Superintendents of Alabama, the professional association for local school system executives, for eight years. He began his career as a high school science teacher and then taught middle school science, where he discovered a passion for middle school education that continues to inform and influence his perspectives to this day. He went on to serve as principal of Kitty Stone Elementary School and then Superintendent of Jacksonville City School System.

Mackey strives to bridge the gap between education and other stakeholders. As such, he currently serves on more than 30 boards including the Southern Regional Education Board, Alabama Public School and College Authority, Retirement Systems of Alabama, Interstate Military Children’s Compact Commission, and Alabama Germany Partnership. He also serves in leadership positions on several boards including the Board of Directors for the Council of Chief State School Officers, Board of Directors for Jobs for America’s Graduates, Board Chair of the Alabama-International Education and Economic Partnership, and Commissioner for the Education Commission of the States. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Jacksonville State University as well as, a Master’s, Education Specialist and Doctoral degrees from The University of Alabama. Dr. Mackey is past president of the Montgomery Rotary Club, volunteers with Meals on Wheels, Boy Scouts, and is active in his local church.