Donna Quan has been tapped as the new executive director and secretary treasurer of the Toronto District School Board.

The board passed a motion late Wednesday evening to offer Quan the position she has held on an interim basis since January, when she took over for Chris Spence following his resignation amid a plagiarism scandal.

The former teacher was heavily favoured to win the board’s approval, though it remains to be seen if she will accept the job.

TDSB chair Chris Bolton told CBC News he hopes she will.

“Donna is thorough, she is creative, she’s thoughtful,” he said.

But these qualities still didn't make her an obvious choice. Trustees debated her credentials behind closed doors for almost two hours.

“We were looking for different characteristics this time,” said Bolton. “Now what we need is a person who can bring the parts together.”

The TDSB faces considerable challenges. Its budget of some $3 billion is strained, construction projects are coming in over budget, and it faces pressure from the province to sell off unused lands.