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Cathy Moore is NCPTA Superintendent of the Year!
Cathy Quiroz Moore, Superintendent of the Wake County Public School System, has been named the 2021 Superintendent of the Year by the North Carolina PTA.
The award recognizes and pays tribute to a central office superintendent who has made outstanding contributions in the field of education that benefits all school families and the community. Through PTA involvement, the award is given to those whose work fulfills the PTA vision to make every child’s potential a reality.
Superintendent Moore’s nomination letter cited her steady and focused leadership while navigating many complexities, uncertainties, and constant change.
“She has risen above the challenges with courage, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to support students, families, school-based administrators, teachers, staff, and district personnel. She has been measured and deliberate, weighing a multitude of factors when deciding how to best educate children virtually and how to safely return them to in-person instruction.”
District accomplishments during the past year include the launch of the WCPSS Virtual Academy, which served 85,000 students during the pandemic. (If it were its own school district, the Academy would be the state’s third largest.) In addition, Superintendent Moore led district efforts with the ABC Collaborative, a partnership with UNC and Duke hospitals and other community and state agencies, to ensure updated and accurate health guidance for our schools.
Daily, Superintendent Moore’s leadership reflects the school district's first core belief, which states, “Every student is uniquely capable and deserves to be challenged and engaged in relevant, rigorous, and meaningful learning each day.” It is the compass that guides her actions, decisions, and planning.
Cathy Moore became the Wake County Public School System’s 10th superintendent in May 2018. Ms. Moore leads the 16th-largest school system in the nation, with more than 160,000 students and 19,000 employees.
Ms. Moore is dedicated to the school district’s vision of having students reach their full potential and lead productive lives in a complex and changing world.
Ms. Moore, who was appointed in 2011 as the school system’s Deputy Superintendent for Academic Advancement, has dedicated her career to public education.
In her role as Deputy Superintendent for Academic Advancement, she was responsible for school administration, academics, special education, student support services and student assignment. Prior to that role, she was an area superintendent, a high school principal, a high school assistant principal and high school teacher. She began her career as a high school French teacher in the Nash-Rocky Mount Public School System.
Ms. Moore has a bachelor’s degree in French language and literature from North Carolina State University and a master of school administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at East Carolina University.