NC superintendent announces new deputy superintendent of innovation

Stegall, who will begin his duties in June, will be in charge of the state's Innovative School District, the Office of Charter Schools, career and technical education, curriculum and instruction, accountability, and federal programs. He replaces Eric Hall, who resigned in March to accept a chancellor position at the Florida Department of Education.

“Dr. Stegall’s wealth of experience and passion for innovative approaches make him a great fit for our team at DPI,” Johnson said in a statement. “His addition to the agency means we won’t skip a beat in our urgent drive to make North Carolina schools the best place to learn and the best place to teach.”

Stegall has more than 20 years of experience in education, most of it in North Carolina K-12 public schools. He is currently the superintendent of US Curriculum Schools for GEMS Education in Dubai, UAE, and is the former superintendent of Newton-Conover City Schools, where 100 percent of schools met or exceeded growth in his final two years at the helm.

He was named regional Superintendent of the Year in 2017, and developed a national award-winning STEM school, a national award-winning Leader in Me school, a state-recognized personalized learning school and a successful dual-language school, among other accomplishments, according to the state superintendent's office.

After earning a bachelor’s degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Stegall taught in Rowan-Salisbury Schools and Iredell-Statesville Schools before entering administrative leadership positions in Iredell-Statesville and Newton-Conover schools. He holds a master’s degree in education administration from Gardner-Webb University and a doctorate in education leadership from Appalachian State University.