Carissa Miller
Lawrence Camacho
(PSS) — The Public School System, which will celebrate its 36th anniversary on Wednesday, welcomes the arrival of Dr. Carissa Moffat Miller, the chief executive officer of the Council of Chief State School Officers or CCSSO.
Commissioner of Education Dr. Lawrence F. Camacho said Miller will begin her three-day visit to CNMI public schools today, Monday. She will join the CNMI-wide Education Day celebration on Wednesday and, with Camacho and Board of Education members, present the 2025 Teacher of the Year Award.
CCSSO runs the National Teacher of the Year Program.
Miller, who was invited by Camacho, will be the first CCSSO head to visit the CNMI.
CCSSO is the only national education nonprofit that represents all 58 leaders of the K-12 education systems in every state, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, the Bureau of Indian Education, as well as the five U.S. territories.
Collectively, CCSSO helps address the educational needs of about 50 million students, 3.8 million teachers, 98,200 schools, and 13,600 school districts.
“Our PSS family, our Board of Education policymakers, and all of our stakeholders are celebrating this milestone together. On this historic first visit to Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, we welcome Dr. Miller to our community of learners as we commemorate 36 years since our school system was established as an independent body under the Commonwealth government,” said Commissioner of Education Dr. Camacho.
“As we are all aware, PSS has benefited greatly from CCSSO’s leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on a number of our initiatives that support our direction as a school district for many years. During her visit, Dr. Miller will be able to observe and feel the advancement and expansion we have made over the years,” Camacho added.
As chief executive officer of CCSSO, Miller works with state education chiefs to ensure that their students have the opportunity to graduate from high school prepared for college, career, and life.
Miller was named head of CCSSO in 2018, becoming the first woman to lead the council in its 90-year history.
As CEO, she leads CCSSO’s efforts to help states and territories deliver equitable education opportunities to every student.
Prior to joining CCSSO, she served as deputy superintendent for the Idaho State Department of Education and led the implementation of statewide online testing for the Idaho State Board of Education. She has a Ph.D. in education from the University of Idaho, a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Wyoming, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
