Incoming Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Sonja Santelises announced the appointment of activist and former mayoral candidate DeRay Mckesson as the system’s interim chief human capital officer yesterday (June 28).

"He has the depth of knowledge of the system, and he has proved that he can lift the work in a short amount of time," Santelises told The Baltimore Sun. "And he has proven his dedication to the children of Baltimore."

Mckesson, who co-launched Campaign Zero—which uses big data to analyze police shootings—previously worked as a special assistant in the same office. He also served as the Minneapolis Public School district’s senior director of human capital; a position he left to protest Michael Brown‘s shooting death at the hands of former police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Missouri. His work in Ferguson and social media presence elevated him to one of the Black Lives Matter movement’s biggest public personalities.

"At its core, this role is about finding great people, matching them to the right role, and helping them to develop and experience careers in the service of our kids," Mckesson, a Baltimore native, told The Sun. He will hold the position at least until this fall, as school officials search for a permanent chief of human capital. He will reportedly earn $165,000 for his work.