NC STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBER PROFILES
The North Carolina State Board of Education (SBE) is responsible for "supervising and administering the free public school system and the educational funds provided for its support." Board members include the Lieutenant Governor, the State Treasurer and 11 other members appointed by the Governor. Eight members represent each of the state's education districts, and three are at-large appointees. Those appointed serve eight-year terms. The policies developed by the North Carolina State Board of Education set the direction for all aspects of Department of Public Instruction and local public school organization and operations.
Chairman:
William C. Harrison, Ed. D.
Lieutenant Governor:
Walter Dalton
State Treasurer:
Janet Cowell
Secretary to Board:
State Superintendent June St. Clair Atkinson
Members
Kathy A. Taft
1st Education District
Reginald Kenan
2nd Education District
Kevin Howell
3rd Education District
Shirley E. Harris
4th Education District
Chris Greene
5th Education District
John A. Tate, III
6th Education District
Robert Thomas Speed
7th Education District
Wayne McDevitt, Vice Chairman
8th Education District
Patricia N. Willoughby
Member-at-Large
Melissa E. Bartlett
Member-at-Large
Teacher Advisors:
2009-2010 AT&T Teacher of the Year
Jessica Garner
2008-2009 AT&T Teacher of the Year
Cindi Rigsbee
Principal Advisor:
2009-2010 Wachovia Principal of the Year
Vann Pennell
Superintendent Advisor:
2009-2010 Superintendent Advisor
Jack Hoke
Local Board of Education Advisor:
2009 NCSBA Raleigh Dingman Award Winner
Wendell Hall
Student Advisors:
Senior Representative
TeDarryl Powell
Junior Representative
Brittney Del Pizzo
Member Profiles
Chairman, State Board of Education
301 N. Wilmington St.,
6302 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-6302
919.807.3441
Dr. Harrison was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Beverly Perdue in March 2009. A native of Pennsylvania, Dr. Harrison has served North Carolina public schools throughout his career. In addition to more than 11 years as Superintendent in Cumberland County, he also has served as Superintendent in Orange County and in Hoke County. He has also served as an Assistant Superintendent in Brunswick County Schools and as a principal and teacher. Dr. Harrison is an adjunct assistant professor at North Carolina State University. His experience includes serving on numerous state commissions, most recently as Co-Chair of the Education Lottery Oversight Committee and as Vice-Chair of the Military Child Education Coalition. Dr. Harrison holds a bachelor's degree in Intermediate Education from Methodist College - Fayetteville, a master's degree in Educational Administration and an Education Specialist degree in Education Administration from East Carolina University, and an Educational doctorate in Education Administration from Vanderbilt University.
310 N. Blount Street
Raleigh, NC 27699-0401
919.733.7358
Contact: Barbara O'Sullivan
Cynthia O'Neal
Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, elected to the office in 2008, is an ex officio member of the board. A successful lawyer and legislator, Lt. Gov. Dalton served six terms in the North Carolina Senate where he authored and created key education measures such as the Innovative Education Act and the Learn and Earn Program. In addition to his work in education, he led efforts to provide tax credits to small businesses that offer employees health insurance, and a program that enables North Carolina senior citizens to pay for their prescription drugs. He also won support for preserving and increasing a number of state parks and adding Chimney Rock to the state park system. He is an active member of the Rural Economic Development Center and the North Carolina Economic Development and Tourism Boards.
Lt. Gov. Dalton is a lay speaker in the Methodist church, a former Cub Scout leader, and has served as board chair of a local community college. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in Business Administration and Law.
Albemarle Building
325 N. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27603-1385
919.508.5158
Contact: Stephanie Scott
Elected in 2008, Janet Cowell is the state's 27th popularly-elected Treasurer and is the first woman to win the post. As the state's fiscal advisor, she oversees more than $80 billion in state investments. She serves on the State Board of Education as an ex officio member. Cowell brings a wealth of experience to her role as State Treasurer - investment professional, former state senator and member of the Raleigh City council. She is the chair of the Local Government Commission, helping cities, towns and counties by monitoring their financial condition; providing technical assistance on auditing and financial reporting; and monitoring the sale and repayment of debt. Cowell is at the forefront of economic development in North Carolina, serving as chair of the State Banking Commission and on the board of the North Carolina Community College System. She earned a Master's degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of Business and a Master's degree in International Studies from the Lauder Institute. She worked as a financial analyst with HSBC Bank and Lehman Brothers before making her home in North Carolina.
State Superintendent and Secretary to the State Board of Education
6301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-6301
919.807.3432
(Fax) 919.807.3445
June St. Clair Atkinson was elected as the North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction in November 2004 and re-elected in 2008. Dr. Atkinson is North Carolina's first woman elected to this position. She heads the NC Department of Public Instruction, an agency which she served for nearly 28 years as a chief consultant and director in the areas of business education, career and technical education, and instructional services. As a former business education teacher, Atkinson has been involved in instruction and curriculum development throughout her career. She is past president of the National Business Education Association, Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools that Work, and the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education Consortium. Atkinson is a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and Phi Delta Kappa and was inducted into East Carolina University's College of Education Educator Hall of Fame in 2008. She received a Bachelor's degree in Business Education from Radford University in 1969, a Master's degree in Vocational and Technical Education from Virginia Tech in 1974, and a Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and Policy from North Carolina State University in 1996.
3024 Dartmouth Drive
Greenville, NC 27858-6745
Kathy A. Taft was reappointed to serve a second term on the State Board in 2003. A long-time supporter of public education, a former vice chair of the Pitt County Board of Education and a founding member of the Pitt County Communities in Schools Program, she serves as Chair of GCS comm. actively involved in representing the State Board's Compliance Commission for Accountability, the North Carolina Public School Forum. Taft attended North Carolina State University and East Carolina University (ECU), graduating cum laude from ECU with a Bachelor's degree in education. She is an inductee into East Carolina University's College of Education Educator Hall of Fame. Her term expires March 31, 2011.
PO Box 472 Warsaw, NC 28398
910.293.7801
Reginald Kenan was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Beverly Perdue in 2009 to fill the District 2 seat for southeastern North Carolina. Mr. Kenan lives in Rose Hill, North Carolina, and practices law in his native Duplin County. He has served as a member of the Duplin County School Board since 1989. He received his bachelor's degree in economics from Guilford College and his juris doctorate from Campbell University's Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law. He is active in church and civic activities in Duplin County, where he has lived all of his life. His term expires March 31, 2017.
NC State University External Affairs
Campus Box 7001
Raleigh, NC 27695
919.515.9340
Kevin D. Howell, a Shelby, NC, native, is the Assistant to the Chancellor for External Affairs at North Carolina State University (NCSU). In this role, he serves as the principal university liaison to elected officials at city, county and state levels and, in conjunction with the chancellor, develops and promotes NCSU's legislative agenda. Howell was previously the legislative liaison in the offices of governors Michael F. Easley and James B. Hunt where he was responsible for lobbying members of the General Assembly. In addition, he has served as Director of Governmental Affairs for the North Carolina Bar Association and as a judicial clerk on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Howell is a graduate of NC State where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Political Science. He later earned a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
229 Fox Den Road
Troy, NC 27371
1.800.801.7983
Shirley E. Harris was appointed to the Board by Governor Mike Easley in May, 2005. She received her Bachelor's degree in Education from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and her Master's degree in Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Harris holds North Carolina teaching certifications in Language Arts, Social Studies and Mathematics, as well as National Board Certification in Early Adolescent English/Language Arts. She also holds certification in Adolescent Literacy, Mentoring, Systemic Change, and NBCT Facilitation. She has taught in North Carolina public elementary, middle and high schools for over thirty years, and served as a high school Comprehensive School Reform facilitator while remaining in the classroom. Harris' teaching awards include Montgomery County Teacher of the Year, NC Regional Teacher of the Year finalist and NCCTM Regional Outstanding Elementary Mathematics Teacher. Her commission expires March 31, 2013.
811 Country Club Drive
High Point, NC 27262
Christine Joyner Greene has served public education in North Carolina in various capacities including: classroom teacher, counselor, director of an early college academy and adjunct professor at NC A&T State University. She is currently the Chairman of the North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and President of the American Association of State Counseling Boards. Greene received a Bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University and Master’s degree from UNC-Greensboro. She has served on numerous civic boards including boards for the Salvation Army, United Way, Family Service Foundation, the High Point Convention and Visitors Bureau, Guilford Alcohol and Drug Services, the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival and High Point United Way Campaign. She serves as a trustee at Mount Olive College and for the Nido Qubein Scholarship Board. Greene was recognized as a Distinguished Practitioner from the Department of Counseling at UNC-Greensboro in 2008 and received the Distinguished Career Award from UNC-Greensboro in 2009. She was selected High Point’s Business Advocate of the Year in 2005 as well as High Point Citizen of the Year in 2000. Her term expires March 31, 2013.
1431 Biltmore Drive
Charlotte, NC 28207-2556
704.374.6451
Governor Easley appointed John Tate, a Charlotte native and businessman, to the SBE in February 2003 to fill an unexpired term and was reappointed in May 2003. John's education includes a bachelor's degree in History from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master's degree in Business Administration/Finance from Georgia State University. John has made the banking industry his career field for the past 30 years, and his current assignment at Wachovia a Wells Fargo company includes working with commercial clients. Community service has included serving on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education from 1990-1997, as well as involvement with Communities in Schools, Habitat for Humanity, Nascar Hall of Fame and UNC-CH School of Social Work Board of Advisors. His current term on the SBE expires March 31, 2015.
P.O. Box 432
Boone, NC 28607-0432
828.264.1191
Robert Thomas Speed, an attorney from Boone, North Carolina, was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Michael F. Easley on May 15, 2003. Speed received his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and his Master's degree in Economics and Business from Appalachian State University. He went on to Campbell University's School of Law where he completed his Law degree. Formerly from Franklin County, North Carolina, and from a family involved in tobacco farming and cattle, he has extensive experience and knowledge in the technical and business aspects of agriculture. Speed is actively involved in ASU's athletic boosters club and is a member the Winston-Salem Scottish Rite Bodies. His term expires in March 31, 2011.
81 Morlin Acres Dr.
Marshall, NC 28753-0063
828.649.2144
Wayne McDevitt was appointed to the State Board in 2001. He currently serves as Senior Vice Chancellor at his alma mater, UNC Asheville, and has been recognized with the university's Achievement Award, Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Chancellor's Medallion. McDevitt served as Chief of Staff for Governor James B. Hunt and on the state's Executive Cabinet as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. His extensive record in public service led the Asheville Citizen-Times to recognize him as "one of Western North Carolina's 50 most influential people of the 20th century." McDevitt's advocacy for education and children includes service on the boards of NC Partnership for Children/Smart Start, NC PTA, Baptist Children's Homes and the boards of trustees of two universities. He serves on the boards of Leadership North Carolina, Western North Carolina Tomorrow, Western North Carolina Communities and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation. McDevitt serves as chair of the State Board's Effective and Efficient Operations priority area. His term expires March 31, 2009.
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
919.715.3535
(F) 919.715.3561
Patricia (Tricia) Nickens Willoughby was reappointed for a second term on the State Board of Education by Governor Bev Perdue in May 2009. Ms. Willoughby is a former classroom teacher and a former member of the School of Education faculty at Meredith College. She received her Bachelor's degree in early childhood education from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Master's degree in education from Meredith College. Willoughby served as State Superintendent of the NC Department of Public Instruction during 2004-05. She is currently the Executive Director of the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, a non-profit whose focus is K-12 education. As a Board member, Willoughby chairs the Healthy Responsible Students Committee. Her term on the State Board of Education expires March 31, 2017.
Person County Schools
304 S. Morgan Street
Roxboro, NC 27573
Melissa E. Bartlett was appointed to the Board by Governor Mike Easley in May 2005. She holds North Carolina teaching certifications in K-12 ESL, 6-8 Language Arts, 9-12 English and she has National Board Certification in Early Adolescent Language Arts. Bartlett taught English at the Collaborative College for Technology and Leadership, a Learn and Earn high school under the New Schools Project. She also has taught in North Carolina middle and high schools and at the community college level, Title I reading in the U.S. Virgin Islands, "O" Levels in Kenya and EFL at the English Language Institute at the American University in Cairo. She was chosen as North Carolina's 2002-03 Teacher of the Year (and became a finalist for 2003 National Teacher of the Year). Bartlett is currently serving as a Program Specialist for Person County. She received her Bachelor's degree in English from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and her Master's degree in teaching English as a foreign language from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. Her State Board of Education term expires March 31, 2013.
Teacher Advisors
Jessica Garner, 2009-10 AT&T Teacher of the Year
Poplin Elementary School, Poplin Road
Indian Trail, NC 28079
704.296.0320
Term: July 2009 - June 2011
Cindi Rigsbee, 2008-09 AT&T Teacher of the Year
Gravelly Hill Middle School
4801 West Ten Road
Efland, NC 27243
919.245.4050 x32950
Term: June 2008 - June 2010
Principal Advisor
Vann Pennell, 2009 Wachovia Principal of the Year
South Brunswick High School
280 Cougar Dr. BSL
Southport, NC 28461
910.845.2204
Term: July 2009 - June 2010
Superintendent Advisor
Jack Hoke Alexander County, Superintendent Advisor
700 Liledoun Road
Taylorsville, NC 28681-0000
282.632.7001
Term: July 2009 - June 2010
Local Board of Education Advisor
Wendell Hall, NCSBA 2008 Raleigh Dingman Award, Local Board of Education
Advisor
751 Mt. Moriah Rd.
Ahoskie, NC 27910
252.534.1371 x265
Term: January 2009 - December 2009
Senior Advisor
TeDarryl Powell, Junior Representative
J.D. Clement Early College High School,
1801 Fayetteville Street, Durham,
NC 27707
Term: June 2010
Junior Student Advisors
Brittney Del Pizzo
South View High School
4184 Elk Road, Hope Mills, NC 28348