Education Commissioner Gist Makes TIME's 100 Most Influential People

Education Commissioner Gist Makes TIME's 100 Most Influential People

In the same week she was chastised by hundreds of anxious teachers for not understanding their problems, the state’s new education commissioner got a splash of positive publicity nationally.

Time Magazine included Deborah A. Gist on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, citing her ability to "navigate the tumult with grace," as she has worked to implement educational reforms in Rhode Island since she came here in July, 2009.

Gist was the only educator to make the list, an honor she shares with the likes of Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama.

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