The Fairfax County School Board unanimously approved the hiring of Dr. Karen Garza as the division superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools for the period July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2017.

For the past four years, Garza has been the superintendent of the Lubbock Independent School District, which serves approximately 30,000 students in Lubbock, Texas. Prior to her role in Lubbock, Garza served as the chief academic officer of the Houston Independent School District, the seventh largest school district in the country. As chief academic officer, the district’s second position to the superintendent, Garza was responsible for both instruction and facilities for more than 200,000 students.

The School Board will begin planning a series of transition activities and public meetings for Garza before she begins her tenure as superintendent on July 1.