Greensboro, N.C. - Superintendent Whitney Oakley has named nearly 100 individuals to her transition team, comprised of a diverse cross-section of leaders and stakeholders who have unparalleled knowledge of the issues impacting the community and reflect the lived experiences of the broader community. ? ? 

The transition team will be co-chaired by: 

-Dr. Harold L. Martin, Sr., Chancellor, North Carolina Agricultural and?Technical State University 

-Deborah Hooper, Chief Operating Officer, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce 

-J. Carlvena Foster, Vice Chair, Guilford County Board of County Commissioners 

-Elaine Utin, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Latinx Ed 

The transition team will hold its first meeting tomorrow, Oct. 12, at 8:30 a.m. at the Blue Heron Event Center in High Point. 

“Guilford County has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen our schools and propel students toward a brighter future. To fully capture that opportunity, though, we must come together as one community,” said Oakley. “I am so thankful to the dozens of leaders, stakeholders, advocates and community members who have answered the call to help support this transition. I know that by working together, we can make our school district and our community the best place to learn, work and grow.” 

In the months ahead, the transition team will work with Oakley to examine where the district has been and evaluate the challenges and opportunities in public education today as it works collaboratively to determine a strategic direction for the district for years to come.  

The announcement comes nine days after Oakley launched Better Together, a series of community conversations to gather community input on hopes and dreams for the graduates of Guilford County Schools (GCS). Oakley has already met with more than 200 people, and GCS has received nearly 300 responses online from students, teachers, parents and community members. The community is invited to share their hopes and dreams at gcsnc.com/bettertogether. 

The next community conversations to be held are as follows: 

-Parent Town Halls on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 5:30 p.m. at Andrews High and on Thursday, Nov. 10, at 5:30 p.m. at Page High 

-Faith Leaders Town Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m. (Invitation only) 

-Teacher and Staff Town Halls on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 5:30 p.m. at Blue Heron Event Center, and Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 5:30 p.m. (Location TBD). 

For more information, visit gcsnc.com/bettertogether.  

About Guilford County Schools 

Guilford County Schools, the third-largest school district in North Carolina and the 50th largest of more than 14,000 in the United States, serves nearly 70,000 PK-12 students at 126 schools. With approximately 9,800 employees, GCS works in partnership with parents, businesses, colleges, and the community to deliver an education that connects student interests and skills with the careers and economy of our future here and around the world. We provide educational choices to meet individual student needs in a culturally diverse citizenship and new opportunities to help our students Soar to Greatness. For more information, visit the district’s website at www.gcsnc.com.