Catherine Truitt

As North Carolina state superintendent, Catherine Truitt is focused on improving the state’s public schools, expanding innovation, and creating new opportunities for students to learn, grow, and successfully transition into the post-secondary plans of their choice.

Her service in education began as a high school English teacher, where she spent 10 years as an English teacher and three years as a turnaround coach. It’s these classroom experiences that Truitt draws from when considering how to best equip students, engage parents and invest in teachers.

In 2015, Truitt was appointed as North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s senior education advisor, where she coordinated policy for all dimensions of public education and helped lead the development of strategic state education policy goals for ages 0-20.

Most recently, Truitt served as chancellor of non-profit Western Governors University North Carolina (WGU NC). As chancellor, she focused on increasing access to higher education for the 1.5 million North Carolinians with some college but no degree. Prior to joining WGU NC, she served as Associate Vice President of University and P-12 Partnerships at UNC General Administration.

Truitt has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Maryland and her Master’s in education from the University of Washington. She and her husband have been married for 27 years and have three children.