Three existing Alamance-Burlington employees and three newcomers – including one who’s returning to ABSS after leaving in 2018 for a professorial post at High Point University – have been hired for six of the top positions at the school system’s Central Office in Burlington.
School board members approved the employment recommendations during their latest work session last week.
The six Central Office appointments come as the new ABSS superintendent, Dr. Dain Butler, works to fill vacant “cabinet” posts ahead of his July 1 start date. Butler is scheduled to be sworn into office prior to the school board’s next meeting Monday night.
Les Atkins, a veteran newsman who serves as the public information officer for the Roanoke Rapids Graded School district – before, during, and since Butler’s tenure there as superintendent from 2016 until 2021 – has been hired as the public information officer for ABSS.
Atkins replaces longtime public information officer Jenny Faulkner, who had served in the position since the late 2000s and retired from ABSS last week.
Atkins has worked 30 years in public relations and broadcast news (including as an anchor and a reporter at WRAL and the North Carolina News Network in Raleigh) in North Carolina and Virginia. He holds an associate’s degree in radio and television communications from Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia and a professional certificate in Business Essentials through the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Spencer Brown, who currently serves as a school nutrition supervisor for ABSS and as the school nutrition business manager for Guilford County schools, has been hired as the school system’s executive director of School Nutrition. He holds a bachelor’s degree in food industry management with a minor in business, from Appalachian State University.
Brown replaces longtime former director of School Nutrition, Pam Bailey. Bailey was fired earlier this year and admitted in a message she posted on Facebook in late February that she had made an “honest mistake” when she brought a handgun to her office, which is based at the ABSS Central Office in Burlington. (No charges appear to have been filed against Bailey.)
Kristy Davis, who had previously served as the school system’s director of the Exceptional Children’s division from 2016 until 2018, has been hired as the chief Student Services officer for ABSS. She replaces Lajuana Norfleet, who will move into an assistant principal’s position.
Since leaving ABSS in 2018, Davis has worked as an assistant professor of education at High Point University. She has previously worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and program coordinator for the school systems in Guilford and Randolph counties before coming to work for ABSS in 2016.
Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a Master’s in School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, as well as a doctorate in education from High Point University.
Greg Holland, who has served as an ABSS principal teacher, coach, assistant principal, and principal since 1991 –most recently as principal of Western Middle School – has been hired as the executive director of School Administration, to oversee school assignment and related matters for the school system.
Holland replaces Jeremy Martin, a former ABSS principal, who will move into an assistant principal’s position at Graham High School.
Holland served five years in the U.S. Marines before going on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Elon University and a Master’s in School Administration from UNC-G.
Kim McVey, who currently serves as the school system’s assistant finance director and has worked for ABSS for 14 years, has been hired as the chief finance officer.
McVey replaces Jeremy Teetor, who has served as the chief business officer since July 2018 and is leaving to take a job in the private sector.
An Alamance County native and Southern High School graduate, McVey holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business from Elon College (now Elon University). She has 32 years’ experience in public school finance and has previously served as an assistant finance director for Chapel Hill-Carrboro city schools and as the finance director for the Caswell County and Person County school systems.
Lowell Rogers, who previously served as an assistant superintendent under Butler in the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District, has been selected as the new deputy superintendent for Human Resources for ABSS.
Rogers currently lives in Lexington and works as the assistant superintendent of Human Resources for Davidson County schools.
He began his career in public education as a 5th grade teacher in the Asheboro city school system. Rogers served four years in the U.S. Air Force before going on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s in School Administration from Appalachian State University, as well as an Education Specialist degree from Gardner-Webb University.
Most of the new hires at Central Office are scheduled to begin work July 1, concurrent with the start of the 2022-23 fiscal year, though several of their start dates hadn’t been finalized by press time Wednesday.
