1. Joy Lynn Hofmeister is an American educator and politician who served as the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction from 2015 to 2023.
19 Facts About Joy Hofmeister
1. 2.
On October 7,2021, Hofmeister switched parties to run for the Democratic nomination in Oklahoma's 2022 gubernatorial election.
3.
Joy Hofmeister won the Democratic nomination and lost the general election to incumbent Kevin Stitt.
4.
Joy Hofmeister is a former public school teacher and owner of a Kumon afterschool program business from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
5.
Joy Hofmeister graduated with a bachelor's degree in education from Texas Christian University.
6.
In January 2012, Joy Hofmeister was appointed to the Oklahoma State Board of Education by Governor Mary Fallin to fill the vacancy left by Phil Larkin Jr.
7.
Joy Hofmeister resigned from the board on April 24,2013.
8.
On January 7,2014, Joy Hofmeister announced her exploratory campaign's steering committee, which included 20 Republican state legislators.
9.
Joy Hofmeister had been a parent of a JPS student and served on the board of the Jenks Public Schools Foundation.
10.
Joy Hofmeister led in Republican primary polls, and won the June 2014 Republican primary, defeating Barresi.
11.
Joy Hofmeister was sworn in as Oklahoma's 14th Superintendent of Public Instruction on January 12,2015.
12.
In 2016, Joy Hofmeister led the charge to eliminate statewide end-of-instruction exams for high school students, reducing the number of standardized tests to only those required under federal law, thereby significantly reducing testing costs.
13.
Joy Hofmeister had allegedly met with Chad Alexander in April 2013, and Alexander later ran an anti-Barresi PAC.
14.
Joy Hofmeister was arrested in 2016, and charged with conspiracy and campaign finance violations in Oklahoma County.
15.
Joy Hofmeister has worked to initiate a discussion surrounding mental health and resiliency for children, exploring the science of childhood trauma and its effects on learning.
16.
Joy Hofmeister is pursuing the addition of a School Counselor Corps to increase the number of counselors in schools.
17.
In 2021, Joy Hofmeister changed her affiliation from Republican to the Democratic Party to run in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
18.
Joy Hofmeister is a mother of four, all of whom attended Jenks Public Schools in Jenks, Oklahoma.
19.
Joy Hofmeister served as an officer for the Jenks Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors.