Renton (Wash.) School Boss to be Inslee’s Chief of Staff

Gov.-elect Jay Inslee is naming Renton Schools Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel as his new chief of staff, reaching outside the ranks of Olympia insiders and Capitol Hill staff to fill a position vital to his success in running state government. Heuschel has gained wide recognition in running the 14,500-student Renton school system.  She was Washington State Superintendent of the Year, and a finalist for National Superintendent of the Year.  She has served as Renton schools chief since 2006, taking over at a time when 30 percent of the district’s students failed to complete high school.