LYNN — Talk about a way to end a meeting.

Dr. Molly Cohen was unanimously appointed to serve as the superintendent of schools at a meeting of the School Committee Thursday night after serving eight months as interim superintendent of schools.

A three-year extension of Cohen’s contract was approved in executive session at the meeting.

“I’m so excited,” Cohen said. “I’m deeply humbled and grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead the district in a city that I love. This opportunity to serve as interim (superintendent) has afforded me the experience and the agency to implement a vision of change that my team and I are really excited about. It’s a vision of improved student outcomes, community and family engagement, and authentic relationships that span across all of our partners.”

Cohen said she looks forward to continuing the work of improving student outcomes.

“Although I love to laugh and smile, I want to be very clear about my serious and ultra-focused vision of creating equitable access to rigorous learning for all students and creating healthy and invigorating learning environments for teachers and students alike,” she said.

Cohen said the district aspires to be “one of the highest-performing urban districts in the Commonwealth. I’d like to sincerely thank the school committee for investing in me as a leader of that change, and my district for the overwhelming feeling of positivity I have experienced these last eight months.”

Before serving as interim superintendent, she served as deputy superintendent since 2022.

Cohen is a 21-year veteran of Lynn Public Schools and has served as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, principal, and executive director of curriculum and instruction.

Cohen, who is proficient in Spanish, recently earned a doctorate from UMass Lowell. She also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont and master’s degrees from Simmons University and Salem State University. She earned a certificate in Educational Leadership from the Lynch Leadership Academy at the Boston College Carroll School of Management.

“Dr. Cohen has done a wonderful job over the last eight months, which is consistent with her more than two decades of dedicated service to Lynn Public Schools,” said Mayor and School Committee Chair Jared C. Nicholson. “She is a proven leader with experience at all levels in our school district and I am very excited to continue working with her in this capacity.”