Eight exceptional school district leaders have been chosen as regional Superintendents of the Year to compete for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2027 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year. The award will be presented in a ceremony beginning at 12:00 p.m. at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro on Oct. 8.
The North Carolina A. Craig Phillips Superintendent of the Year is chosen jointly by the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA) and NCASA’s core affiliate, the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association (NCSSA), with support and sponsorship from Burroughs Wellcome Fund and worldwide education leader Scholastic Education. The honor is awarded to a superintendent who exhibits outstanding leadership in service to K-12 public schools and is named in honor of the late A. Craig Phillips, former State Superintendent of Public Instruction in NC, who served from 1969-1989. The 2027 Superintendent of the Year Award will be presented via livestream on the NCASA YouTube channel on October 8th, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Click https://www.youtube.com/live/JXdX6BN07Ng to access the livestream presentation.
The eight regional winners and 2027 A. Craig Phillips Superintendent of the Year nominees are as follows:
Region 1: Northeast Dr. Matt Lutz, Currituck County Schools
Region 2: Southeast Dr. Brad Breedlove, Pender County Schools
Region 3: Central Dr. Steve Ellis, Nash County Public Schools
Region 4: Sandhills Dr. Jamie King, Sampson County Schools
Region 5: Piedmont-Triad Dr. Stephen Gainey, Randolph County Schools
Region 6: Southwest Dr. Crystal Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Region 7: Northwest Mr. Mike Swan, Burke County Schools
Region 8: Western Mr. Chad Calhoun, Mitchell County Schools
The recipient named Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2027 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year will represent the state in competition for the 2027 National Superintendent of the Year Award, to be given at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education Feb. 25-27, 2027, in Atlanta, Ga.