Lake Charles native chosen as Louisiana's new higher education commissioner

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana has a new higher education commissioner to oversee policy governing the state's public colleges and more than 200,000 students.

The Board of Regents on Wednesday chose Kim Hunter Reed, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, for the position.

Reed is returning to her home. She's a native of Lake Charles and a longtime fixture in Louisiana government. She previously worked as chief of staff at the Board of Regents, as a deputy chief of staff for Gov. Kathleen Blanco and as executive vice president for the University of Louisiana System.

The Regents board picked Reed over three other finalists for the job.

Joseph Rallo, commissioner since January 2015, plans to retire from the position that pays him $364,000 a year. He agreed to stay until June.