SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Brian Maher will be the new Nebraska Board of Education commissioner, according to a news release.

Maher was selected during a public meeting of the Nebraska state education board on March 31.

Maher will leave his position as the executive director of the South Dakota Board of Regents in June. He announced his intended resignation in February. Maher was also the superintendent in the Sioux Falls School District prior to the board of regents.

Maher will replace Dr. Matthew Blomstedt who served nine years as commissioner until his resignation in January. He is expected to start as commissioner of education in July.

Nebraska media reported that Maher was selected in a 5-3 vote.

The release highlighted several points of Maher’s experience including successful completing a system-wide review of the South Dakota Board of Regents and successful lobbying for historic funding of higher education in 2021 and 2022.

Maher served as superintendent in two Nebraska district, Kearney and Centennial. He earned his master’s and doctorate from the University of Nebraska.

In a March 2 KELOLAND News story by Jazzmine Jackson, Maher said he intended to move to Nebraska in order to be nearer to family but he did not plan to retire.

Applications for Nebraska Commissioner of Education opened on Jan. 17 and continued through March 2. Maher was announced as one of four finalists on March 14. The finalists were interviewed in public meetings on March 30, according to the Nebraska Department of Education.