Susan Pullium, one of the senior staffers in the Wake Count school system's student assignment office, has become at least the seventh person from the school district hired by the state Department of Transportation.

State Transportation Secretary Tony Tata announced today that Pullium will be the DOT's director of strategic planning. Pulliam will oversee the Transportation Planning Branch and Performance Metrics Management Office as she works on developing a 25-year transportation infrastructure plan.

“Susan has overseen large-scale planning and community engagement efforts and understands the importance of collaboration,” said Tata, the former Wake school superintendent, in the press release. “She is a talented, innovative individual who will be a tremendous asset as we work with our business and community partners to develop a long-range transportation plan that boosts North Carolina’s economy.”

Make it six, and counting, Wake County school employees who've resigned to work for former Superintendent Tony Tata at the state Department of Transportation.

Among the list of DOT appointments announced Wednesday was that Mary Morton would be the department's inspector general. Morton is leaving her post as senior director in charge of the school system's Internal Audit Department.

Tata, the Transportation Secretary, has hired away five Wake school employees to hold key leadership roles at DOT. He also brought also his former assistant in Wake, Ashley Goolsby, to be his special assistant.

Cris Mulder is deputy secretary for internal and external affairs. Mike Charbonneau is director of communications. Randy Dishong is Deputy DMV Commissioner. Ann Dishong is director of the Governance Office.

The revolving door from the Wake County school system to the state Department of Transportation continues.

Mike Charbonneau, currently Wake's director of public affairs, will be leaving to become director of communications at DOT. The school system has hired Renee McCoy, a former WRAL news anchor and more recently chief spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Resources, to replace Charbonneau.

Charbonneau is one of a growing number of Wake school employees who are rejoining Tony Tata, the former Wake superintendent and now state Transportation Secretary.

UPDATE

Ann Dishong is interim director of the DOT governance office. This makes at least five former Wake school employees who've joined Tata at DOT.

Cris Mulder is leaving her position as the Wake County school system's chief of family and community engagement.

State Transportation Secretary Tony Tata has hired Mulder to be the deputy secretary for internal and external affairs. Mulder will essentially do what she's been doing for Wake overseeing communications, marketing and community outreach.

Back when Tata was superintendent, he had hired Mulder in September 2011 as part of his revamping of the communications department. Tata renamed it the Office of Family and Community Engagement to highlight his emphasis on community outreach.

Do not freak out if you see a lot of police cars and helicopters swarming around Dillard Drive elementary and middle schools today.

Taking advantage of today's teacher workday, the Wake County school system is teaming up with 15 other agencies to conduct an emergency response drill on Dillard's campus in Raleigh. They're going to respond to a simulated attack on the campus.

"This exercise will dramatize an event that is more severe than any emergency our schools would likely face, but this will help us be prepared for everything," said Randy Dishong, a school system security investigator coordinating the drill, in a press release. "We will be testing our ability to communicate, delineate and execute our responsibilities during a serious incident."