Stephen Barr has been named as Missouri's newest assistant commissioner in the state Elementary and Secondary Education department's Office of Special Education.
He held the same post almost a decade ago.
The job includes supervising the administration of state and federal funds, to support services for students and adults with disabilities.
And, Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro announced Wednesday, Sharon Hoge was named as assistant commissioner of the Office of College and Career Readiness.
Barr lives in Callaway County, and first joined DESE in 1984, as coordinator of federal programs.
He later served as the assistant commissioner of Special Education, until 2002, when he moved to Ohio's Department of Education as a leader for school improvement efforts.
He returned to Missouri this year, to oversee the state's federal education programs.
Barr was a teacher and school administrator in eastern Missouri schools before joining DESE. He earned his doctorate, an Ed.D., in education administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Hoge also earned her Ph.D. from UMC, in curriculum and instruction. She lives in the Columbia area, and joined DESE in 2006, after working as both a teacher and administrator. In her new job, she'll be responsible for overseeing local schools' implementation of state education standards, curriculum development, the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP tests) and career and technical education programs.