Phil Handy, who advised John McCain on school issues during the 2008 presidential campaign, has signed up to help Republican Mitt Romney in his bid for the White House.
Handy had been working for another 2012 presidential contender, Tim Pawlenty, but the former Minnesota governor dropped out of the race in August.
In addition to having experience working on a White House campaign, Handy is a member of the National Board for Education Sciences, which advises the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences as it sets research priorities.
He also served as chairman of Florida’s state’s board of education under former Gov. Jeb Bush, whose campaigns for governor he also chaired, so he brings a knowledge of politics and school policy in a crucial GOP battleground state. He also serves on the board of one of the former governor’s education foundations, according to its web site.