Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey approved a $282 million appropriation for schools and universities from the state's Advancement and Technology Fund.

The latest round of federal funding will enable universities and colleges across the state to purchase new security software, video-conferencing equipment and remote-desktop software.

Reynolds, an industry veteran, has also held top IT positions at George Mason University and Garrett College.

The state will judge student-led coding projects for the next several months to find a winning team that will be announced next spring.

Alabama school district uses centralized data system to help student performance.