Only a week after the general election, and Gov. Jim Douglas (R-Middlebury) is already shaping his administration.
 
The governor appointed Jonathan Wood as secretary of Natural Resources on Friday, and has chosen three finalists for Vermont's next education commissioner.
 
Douglas selected Wood, the former commissioner of Forest, Parks and Recreation (FPR), to replace George Crombie.
 
"Jonathan shares my view that environmental protection and economic growth go hand-in-hand," Douglas said in a statement. "He understands that our environmental policies must be about ensuring that every Vermonter can enjoy Vermont's hills and valleys, lakes and streams, our forests and fields without worrying that their next paycheck will be their last."
 
The governor also thanked Crombie for his work for Vermont and wished him well in the future.
 
Meanwhile, the State Board of Education narrowed the field of about 20 candidates for the position of Vermont education commissioner to three people.
 
The finalists include Brian C. O'Regan, former state deputy commissioner of education, Betty J. Sternberg, superintendent of schools in Greenwich, Connecticut and former Connecticut state education commissioner, and Armando Vilaseca, superintendent of schools for Franklin West Supervisory Union in Fairfax.
 
The State Board of Education will conduct the final interviews on Nov. 17, and the remaining candidates have been invited to partake in a "focus forum" on that date. The forum would allow finalists to meet with parents, teachers, and school administrators, to discuss their goals for the state's public schools. The final decision will be made by the end of the month.