Meet the finalists to succeed Eric Gordon at CMSD

The nationwide search to find a successor for Eric Gordon, CEO of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), is down to two.

Driving the news: Warren Morgan and Ricardo "Rocky" Torres are the last men standing and will be interviewed by a series of staff and community panels today and tomorrow.

Morgan grew up on Chicago's South Side and worked for CMSD from 2014-2016 before becoming executive director of an education nonprofit in St. Louis.

• He is chief academic officer for the Indianapolis public school system.

Torres began his career as a bilingual educator with the New York department of education and earned his doctorate in urban education from Cleveland State.

• He worked as a CMSD administrator from 2014-2019 and is now assistant superintendent of Seattle Public Schools.

Catch up quick: Cleveland schools chief Eric Gordon abruptly announced his upcoming resignation last year.

The latest: Gordon received a standing ovation at Mayor Justin Bibb's State of the City address last week.

• Bibb said he was committed to finding a successor who would build on Gordon's legacy while fighting the learning loss that students experienced during the pandemic.

Tune in: Today's panel interviews will begin at 4pm and can be livestreamed here.