N.C. schools board names executive director

Hill, a graduate of the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy and Emory University, will assume the post on Aug. 1.

As executive director, he will manage the State Board of Education office, advise the board on key education policy issues, represent the board before the General Assembly and serve as the board's liaison to local boards of education and superintendents, the Governor's Office and other governmental entities.

"The North Carolina public education system has a first-rate track record in preparing students for post-secondary education and careers," Hill said in a statement. "As executive director, I will continue to focus on the development of policies that ensure that every public school student will graduate from high school prepared for life in the 21st century."

Hill has served as the chief deputy state superintendent in Mississippi since 2008 and was the deputy state superintendent for two years before that. He previously was policy director for the Georgia Department of Education and the policy coordinator for the Georgia Governor's Office of Planning and Budget.

"North Carolina is fortunate to have Mr. Hill returning to our state in this leadership role," Board Chairman Bill Harrison said in a statement. "Mr. Hill's experience with the departments of education in Mississippi and Georgia and his national work with the Council of Chief State School Officers and Southeastern United States Education Laboratory make him well prepared to lead our board's operations."