James Lane

Biography

Dr. James F. Lane was appointed Virginia’s 25th superintendent of public instruction by Governor Ralph S. Northam, effective June 1, 2018. As state superintendent, Dr. Lane served as the executive officer of the Virginia Department of Education, which is the administrative agency for the commonwealth’s public schools. He also served as secretary of the state Board of Education.

Prior to his appointment as the commonwealth’s chief school officer, Dr. Lane served as a division superintendent in Chesterfield County, Goochland County and Middlesex County. He was recognized as the 2017 Virginia Superintendent of the Year for his leadership in Goochland County. Dr. Lane was one of 100 superintendents in the nation selected to attend the 2014 ConnectEd Superintendents Summit at the White House in recognition of his leadership in the use of instructional technology by his schools. In 2015, the national Data Quality Campaign awarded its annual Flashlight award to Goochland County in recognition of the division’s achievements under Lane’s leadership in using data to empower educators and communicate with parents and the public.

Dr. Lane holds a doctorate in education from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in school administration from North Carolina State University, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees in teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Lane and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of two elementary school students in Chesterfield County.