Stephanie will bring a wealth of school system knowledge and experience to the Board of Education!

She has a good handle on what is going on in the schools and behind the scenes in the school system, having been a substitute teacher (K-12) and an active school volunteer since 1998 when her first child entered NHCS.

She regularly attends Board of Education meetings to stay current on education issues, locally and across the state and nation because she believes wholeheartedly that a good, solid education liberates the soul and unlocks so many opportunities for children and adults as well. She has served on many NHCS Committees, asking the tough questions when necessary and working hard to find relevant and viable solutions to problems that are identified. She embodies a “search and re-apply” approach to education, hoping always to bring, and empower others to bring, best practices and innovative strategies into classrooms and the entire school system.

New Hanover County Schools Participation

Current NHCS committees include:

• Crisis Management Team
• School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)
• Board of Education Title IX Committee

Past NHCS committees include:

• CTE High School Work Group (and the eventual rollout of SEA-Tech High School)
• Wrightsville Beach Elementary, Noble Middle School, Hoggard, and Laney School Improvement Teams
• Character Education Committee
• Playground Committee
• Board of Education Policy Committee (non-voting member)
• Board of Education Calendar Committee (non-voting member)
• Board of Education Strategic Action Plan Team’s Academic Achievement Committee
• AIG Advisory Committee
• Eliminating the Gap Advisory Committee
• Magnet School Federal Grant Application team (for the eventual rollout of Rachel Freeman School of Engineering and Snipes Academy of Art and Design magnet schools)
• Title II Audit Team
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Accreditation Preparation and Review Teams

Stephanie will bring insight from parents, past and present, and community leaders along with demonstrated leadership skills to the Board of Education!

She has held all local PTA officer positions and was a PTA Board member every year that her children were in school. She continues to serve on several school PTAs and PTOs even though she has no children in NHCS. She has also served on the Boards of Hoggard’s and Laney’s Athletic Boosters Clubs, helping raise money to improve athletic facilities and enhance all athletic programs.

Stephanie was the President of New Hanover County Council of PTAs Board for four years, working closely with parents, teachers, administrators, coaches and students in all NHC schools, all while serving in PTA and Athletic Boosters Club leadership roles at both of her children’s schools. Under her leadership, the NHC Council of PTAs was named NCPTA Outstanding Council for three years in a row and was recognized as the Community Organization of the Year by the NHC Human Relations Committee.

Stephanie still works on occasion with the NCPTA to advise parents on effective organization structure and skill-building, ways to engage more parents in their child’s school and education process, and how to tap into state and national PTA and PTA-Partner programs. She has a passion for mentoring parents on how to advocate for their children and their schools and helping parents teach and role-model for their children on how to advocate for themselves. She prides herself on her ability to develop and maintain community partnerships between schools, school PTAs, the PTA Council, education non-profits, and local businesses.