Governor-Elect Carney announces selections for DNREC, Department of Education

WILMINGTON – Governor-elect John Carney  announced his nominations to lead two additional Cabinet agencies when he takes office this month.

Susan Bunting will be nominated to serve as Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education, overseeing Delaware’s public school system and serving as an education policy adviser to the Governor.

Since 2006, Bunting has been Superintendent of the Indian River School District, one of the state’s largest school districts serving more than 10,000 students. She has worked at Indian River since 1977, first as a teacher, and later as the district’s Supervisor of Elementary Instruction and K-12 Director of Instruction.

In 2012, she was one of four finalists for the American Association of School Administrators’ National Superintendent of the Year award. Dr. Bunting earned a Doctorate in Education Leadership from the University of Delaware.

Shawn M. Garvin will be nominated to serve as Secretary of the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, leading the state department tasked with protecting and managing the state’s natural resources, protecting public health, providing outdoor recreational opportunities, and educating Delawareans about the environment.

Garvin was appointed in November 2009 by President Barack Obama to serve as Regional Administrator of Region III of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Since that time, he has overseen the agency’s work in the region, which includes the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.

Garvin previously had been the Senior State and Congressional Liaison for the EPA’s Region III office. Earlier, he served as an aide to then-U.S. Senator Joe Biden and as Executive Assistant to former New Castle County Executive Dennis Greenhouse.

Cabinet nominations must be confirmed by the Delaware Senate.