Pender County Schools Superintendent Dr. Brad Breedlove was named 2027 Southeast Region Superintendent of the Year and is a statewide finalist.
Pender County Schools Superintendent Dr. Brad Breedlove has been named the 2027 Southeast Region Superintendent of the Year, earning one of eight regional honors across North Carolina and advancing as a finalist for the Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2027 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year Award.
Dr. Breedlove represents Region 2 — Southeast in the statewide recognition program, which highlights exceptional leadership and service to K-12 public education.
Statewide award recognizes leadership in public education
The A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year is selected jointly by the North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA) and the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association, with support from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and Scholastic Education.
Pender County Board of Education Chair Don Hall praised the recognition as a win for both Dr. Breedlove and the district.
“This is a great honor for Dr. Breedlove and for Pender County Schools,” Hall said. “Dr. Breedlove works hard, he cares about our students and staff, and he wants to see this school system get better every day. We’re glad to have him leading our district.”
Dr. Breedlove said the award reflects the work happening throughout the school system.
“I’m honored to represent Pender County Schools and the Southeast region,” Breedlove said. “This recognition is really about our students, teachers, staff, administrators, families and community. We have a lot of people working every day to give our students the opportunities they deserve, and I’m grateful to be part of that work.”
2027 regional Superintendents of the Year
Eight regional winners were selected across North Carolina:
• Region 1 — Dr. Matt Lutz, Currituck County Schools
• Region 2 — Dr. Brad Breedlove, Pender County Schools
• Region 3 — Dr. Steve Ellis, Nash County Public Schools
• Region 4 — Dr. Jamie King, Sampson County Schools
• Region 5 — Dr. Stephen Gainey, Randolph County School System
• Region 6 — Dr. Crystal Hill, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
• Region 7 — Dr. Mike Swan, Burke County Public Schools
• Region 8 — Chad Calhoun, Mitchell County Schools
What’s next
The 2027 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year will be announced Oct. 8 at the Grandover Resort in Greensboro. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the NCASA YouTube channel beginning at 11:30 a.m.
The award is named in honor of A. Craig Phillips, who served as North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1969 to 1989.
The statewide recipient will go on to represent North Carolina in competition for the 2027 National Superintendent of the Year Award during the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education, scheduled for Feb. 25–27, 2027, in Atlanta.
