Key takes position in consulting firm

Former Arkansas Secretary of Education Johnny Key has become a partner in the education management consulting firm Strategos Group, where he is joining the company’s State Superintendent Engagement Practice.

Founded in 2011, Strategos is made up of former state education commissioners, legislators, White House appointees and business leaders to advise Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, startups, philanthropy and private equity organizations.

Strategos Group operates at the national, state and local levels with offices in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Maryland, Tennessee, Texas and Washington, D.C.

“The Strategos team, with its subject-matter expertise and unmatched policy insight, has set itself apart as a leader in education management consulting,” Key said in a prepared announcement of his new role.

“Joining this group of esteemed professionals who share my passion for education provides me the opportunity to continue working to advance smart policies that will help ensure future generations are provided quality education choices,” he said.

Key served as secretary of the Arkansas Department of Education from 2019 to 2023 and as commissioner of the department from 2015 to 2019, overseeing the state’s 237 school districts and 18 charter school systems.

Before heading the state education agency, Key was associate vice president for university relations for the University of Arkansas System. He was a state senator from 2009 to 2014 and a state representative from 2003 to 2008. He began his career in public service in 1997 when he was elected to serve as a justice of the peace on the Baxter County Quorum Court.