Lubbers leading candidate for education post-WEB ONLY

State Sen. Teresa Lubbers is a leading candidate to become Indiana’s next commissioner of higher education, she confirmed through a spokeswoman today.

She declined to comment further until an official announcement is made tomorrow. The Commission for Higher Education will meet at 11:15 a.m. to make its decision.

Lubbers, a Republican from Indianapolis, would replace Stan Jones, who will step down April 30. Jones is reportedly set to take a job with a newly forming education group backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Jones has led the Commissioner for Higher Education since 1995. The 14-member group oversees Indiana’s state-supported colleges and universities.

Lubbers has been a state senator in the 30th District since 1992. Her current and fifth term ends in 2012, but she would have to step down to accept the commissioner’s position.

Lubbers serves as chair of the Indiana Senate’s Committee on Education and Career Development. She is also chair of the Midwestern Higher Education Commission and sits on the board of two schools.

In March, Lubbers was appointed to serve on the Education Policy Task Force of the Council of State Governments.

Lubbers is a graduate of Warren Central High School, Indiana University and the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Early in her career, she worked as a public information officer for Richard Lugar, while he was mayor of Indianapolis and after he became a U.S. senator.