State Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia next month will step down from the post she has held since 2015, her office confirmed on Monday.

Elia made the surprise announcement earlier in the day a meeting of the Board of Regents.

An SED spokeswoman said Elia was leaving to “pursue another professional opportunity.”

Elia had previously served as the superintendent of schools in Hillsborough County, Florida and is a native of western New York.