Media Statement From State Services Commissioner

Acting Chief Executive, Education Review Office

Media Statement From The State Services Commissioner

The State Services Commissioner, Michael Wintringham, announced today the appointment of Karen Sewell as the acting chief executive and acting chief review officer of the Education Review Office (ERO). Ms Sewell will take up the acting role on 1 January 2001. The chief executive and chief review officer of ERO, Dr Judith Aitken, is leaving the department at the completion of her contract, at the end of this year. Dr Aitken has been chief executive since 1992.

Ms Sewell is formerly the principal of Green Bay High School, in Auckland. She was the principal there between 1984 and 1997. She has held a teaching fellowship at Victoria University of Wellington, and she has studied at the Institute of Education, University of London, on a Nuffield Bursary.

Ms Sewell has been the national manager, review services at ERO since April 1997. In that role, she has been responsible for planning and managing all aspects of ERO's reviews of schools and early childhood centres.

Mr Wintringham said Ms Sewell would be the acting chief executive at ERO probably for several months. "I won't consider opening an appointment process for a permanent chief executive before the completion of the current Ministerial review of ERO," Mr Wintringham said.

Ends

Further information: Owen Gill, State Services Commission,
ph 04 4956609.

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