Former Hillsborough schools superintendent MaryEllen Elia has been appointed Commissioner of Education in New York.
Hillsborough County school board members fired Elia in January. Elia had been with the district since 1986 and superintendent since 2005.
Elia started her career in New York in 1970 as a social studies teacher and taught a number of history, government, and economics courses to students in grades nine through 12 for the next 16 years.
Elia's appointment comes after a nearly five-month search to replace former Commissioner John King, who left to take a job with the U.S. Department of Education.
She will start her new position on July 6.