Terry Holliday Selected as Education Commissioner

KSBA is reporting that the state Board of Education has hired Terry Holliday of North Carolina to be Kentucky's next education commissioner.

Terry Holliday, Ph.D. – Holliday is currently superintendent of Iredell-Statesville Schools in Statesville, North Carolina, a position he has held since 2002. During his tenure, the school district received the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

This from KDE:

HOLLIDAY SELECTED AS KENTUCKY EDUCATION COMMISSIONER

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) – Terry Holliday, superintendent of the Iredell-Statesville school district in Statesville, North Carolina, has been selected as Kentucky’s fifth commissioner of education.

His salary will be $225,000 annually, and his first day in office will be August 5. The contract is for four years.

The Kentucky Board of Education announced the selection today at a special-called meeting in Frankfort. Chairman Joe Brothers said that Holliday exemplifies the
qualities the board sought for the next commissioner.

“Terry Holliday has a proven record of accomplishments, and chief among those is his work to raise student achievement levels,” Brothers said. “He is a strong leader who understands the importance of collaboration and communication among partners, including parents, educators, community leaders, businesspeople and elected officials.

“These are challenging times for P-12 education, with budget cuts and enhanced state and federal mandates. But, I and the other board members are confident that he will provide the guidance needed as Kentucky moves forward.”

Holliday, 58, has served as superintendent of the more than 20,000-student
Iredell-Statesville school district since 2002. During his tenure, he has received recognition in a variety of areas, including being named 2009 North Carolina Superintendent of the Year; receiving the 2009 Grayson Medal for Innovation in Quality from the American Productivity Quality Council; being named the 2008 North Carolina Music Educators Association Superintendent of the Year; and selection as a 2008 Friend of NCAAHPERD, a physical education and health award.

Under his leadership, the Iredell-Statesville school district received the 2008 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which was created by an act of Congress in 1987 to recognize companies, organizations, businesses and other entities that have
shown long-term improvement in quality and productivity. Holliday’s work as a school administrator led to the closing of achievement gaps and marked improvement in graduation rates and other student achievement measures. He is viewed as a bold, innovative leader who has focused education on changes that benefit children and their learning.

Holliday has served as North Carolina School Superintendent Association president and as a member of the North Carolina Race to the Top Committee, the North Carolina Blue Ribbon Commission on Testing and Accountability, the North Carolina Principal Evaluation Rubric Development Committee, the North Carolina E-Learning Commission/Virtual High School Advisory Committee, the Governor’s Teacher Working Conditions Advisory Committee, the United Way Board of Directors, the Statesville and Mooresville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Boys and Girls Club Board of Directors and many others.

Holliday’s previous experience includes: superintendent of the Transylvania County school system in Brevard, North Carolina; associate superintendent and director of accountability for Rock Hill School District 3 in York County, South Carolina; principal, assistant principal and director of instrumental music for Fort Mill High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina; and band director at Northside Junior High, Parker High and Gaffney High in South Carolina.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Furman University; a master’s degree and doctorate from Winthrop University; and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina.

A native of Belton, South Carolina, Holliday and his wife, Denise, are the parents of two children: Adam, a student at University of North Carolina Charlotte, and Eleanor (Ellie), a student at Elon University in North Carolina.

During the search, the board and Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc. made over 300 contacts, reviewed detailed information on approximately 80 individuals and interviewed 12 candidates.

Holliday’s previous experience includes:

superintendent of the Transylvania County school system in Brevard, North Carolina;

associate superintendent and director of accountability for Rock Hill School District 3 in York County, South Carolina;

principal, assistant principal and director of instrumental music for Fort Mill High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina and band director at Northside Junior High, Parker High and Gaffney High in South Carolina.

Holliday’s work as a school administrator led to the closing of achievement gaps and marked improvement in graduation rates and other student achievement measures.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Furman University (Music Education); a master’s degree (and Ed Specialist Degree, both in Ed Admin) from Winthrop University; and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina (Ph. D. Ed Admin).

Holliday was named Superintendent of the Year for Western North Carolina in 2002;

N C Supt of the Year by the NC Music Educators Association in 2008,

Holliday was recently named 2009 A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year by the North Carolina School Boards Association and the North Carolina Association of School Administrators.