Atchison Superintendent takes new position in Kansas Department of Education
ATCHISON, Kan. (News-Press NOW) — With more than 30 years of experience in public education, the leader of Atchison USD 409 and the 2025 Kansas Superintendent of the year is on to bigger things.
Dr. Renee Nugent has been named the deputy commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education’s division of learning services and will begin her new position on July 1.
“I love education,” Nugent said in a press release. “It’s just beyond comprehension to me that I’m getting the opportunity to impact schools across the entire state of Kansas.”
Nugent was approved for the position by the Kansas State Board of Education following an executive session during the board’s monthly meeting on March 11.
Nugent is a native of Highland, Kansas, and is a graduate of Doniphan West High School (formerly Highland High) and Highland Community College.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in education from Benedictine College in 1992. Her career began as an English and journalism teacher at South Sioux City Junior High, in northeast Nebraska.
Nugent later earned a master’s degree in education from West Texas A&M University, a K-12 leadership license from Emporia State University and a K-12 school counseling license from Fort Hays State University.
She was the assistant superintendent of student services at Garden City USD 457 for six years before becoming the superintendent in Atchison in 2019. She completed her doctorate in educational leadership from Kansas State University in 2020.
