Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin announced Monday he has chosen Aimee Rogstad Guidera to serve as his secretary of education.

The selection is notable because education issues, from pandemic closures to parents’ involvement in school curricula, dominated last month’s gubernatorial election in the commonwealth.

In a statement, Youngkin, a Republican, said Guidera “will be a critical partner in restoring expectations of excellence; overseeing a record education budget to invest in teachers, facilities and special education; rolling out innovation lab and charter schools; and standing for a curriculum that prepares Virginia’s children for a dynamic future and removes politics from the classroom.”

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Guidera is the president of Guidera Strategy, and she is the former founder and chief executive of the Data Quality Campaign, an organization that works on education data policy. Guidera was previously the director of the Washington, D.C., office of the National Center for Educational Achievement and worked on education policy at the National Governors Association.

In remarks at the Republican Governors Association annual meeting in Phoenix last month, Youngkin said advocacy for parental rights in education was a key component of his upset victory in an increasingly blue Virginia.

“The polls kept telling us that education was the seventh or eighth or ninth most important issue,” Youngkin said. “Let me tell you, it is the top issue right now, and Republicans across the country can own this topic.”

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Guidera is the first Cabinet secretary selection announced by Youngkin, who is scheduled to take office on Jan. 15, 2022.