MEET THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT
MEET THE STATE SUPERINTENDENTJUNE ATKINSON
June St. Clair Atkinson has served as the North Carolina State Superintendent of Public Instruction since August 2005 and re-elected in 2008. Dr. Atkinson is the first woman elected to the post of State Superintendent. She oversees more than 1.4 million students in over 2,400 public schools.
As State Superintendent, Dr. Atkinson heads the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, an agency which she served for nearly 30 years as a chief consultant and director in the areas of business education, career and technical education, and instructional services. A former business education teacher, Dr. Atkinson has been involved in instruction and curriculum development throughout her career. Improving instructional quality and student learning, creating environments that enable teachers' and students' success, and ensuring that education is modern and relevant are key priorities for Dr. Atkinson.
Dr. Atkinson has received numerous awards and held many professional offices. Her most recent honors are the Women of Achievement Award from the General Federation of Women’s Club, the Distinguished Alumna Award from the North Carolina State University College of Education, the Inclusive Leadership Award from the North Carolina Association of Educators, the Friends of Education Award from the North Carolina Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, and Education Educator Hall of Fame Award from East Carolina University.
She is the past president of the National Business Education Association, the Southern Regional Education Board's High Schools that Work, and the National Association of State Directors of Career and Technical Education. In addition to her many honors, she has been published in numerous magazines and professional organization yearbooks as well as authoring two books related to technology and making presentations to business and other educational groups in 43 states and throughout North Carolina.
Dr. Atkinson grew up in rural Bedford County, Va., where she attended public schools and graduated from Staunton River High School, Moneta, Va., in 1966. She received a B.S. in Business Education from Radford University in 1969, an M.S. in Vocational and Technical Education from Virginia Tech in 1974, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from North Carolina State University in 1996. After graduating from Radford, Dr. Atkinson taught high school in Roanoke, Va., and Charlotte, N.C. In Charlotte, Dr. Atkinson's teaching assignments required that she work with business people to find meaningful employment for her students. Seeing that her students were prepared for both further education and work became her passion.
Dr. Atkinson is married to Dr. William Gurley, a Cary orthodontist and former assistant professor at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. She has one sister, two nephews and one niece. She is a member of the First United Methodist Church of Cary.
Contact Information:
Office of the State Superintendent
NC Education Building
6301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-6301
919.807.3430
jatkinson@dpi.state.nc.us