Deputy Education Commissioner George A. Coleman of Sandy Hook has been named acting commissioner of education, effective Thursday, by vote of the Connecticut State Board of Education today.

State Education Commissioner Mark K. McQuillan, who completes his term of office at the close of business today, did not seek reappointment. Coleman will serve as the Department of Education’s chief executive officer until incoming Gov. Dan Malloy appoints a new commissioner.

Coleman has served in several positions since joining the department in 1987, including a nine-month stint as interim commissioner of education that began in 2006. He began his career as a classroom teacher at St. Mark’s School of Learning in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1972.

He has served on many professional and community boards and councils, including the state and local United Way, NAACP, the Connecticut State Birth-to-Three Council, Connecticut Commission on Children, Junior Achievement and The Hord Foundation, based in Danbury.

“I expect to carry on the work of the State Board of Education with emphasis on school reform and improvement, early childhood education and closing the achievement gap,” said Coleman said.