Wake Education Partnership has named business executive C. Steve Parrott, 57, as the organization’s new president. A former Senior State Executive for the Carolinas Region of Embarq, Parrott will begin his new position Sept. 20.
“We believe we found the ideal individual to lead Wake Education Partnership,” said Gordon Brown, chief financial officer for Alfred Williams & Company and chairman of the Partnership’s Board of Directors. “He is well respected and well known in the business community and passionate about the importance of public education.”
Parrott’s 32-year career in the telecommunications industry includes 27 years in various senior leadership positions. He has held numerous leadership roles on education boards and committees, including the North Carolina Business Committee for Education and the North Carolina e-Learning Commission.
A 1975 graduate of the University of Tennessee, he is also a member of the NC Community College Foundation Board, the Advisory Committee for the Center for International Understanding and past president of the NC Telecommunications Industry Association.
Parrott and his wife, Judy, have lived in Raleigh since 1993. His two children attended Wake County public schools, graduating from Leesville Road High School. His wife is a church organist and preschool music teacher.
“I am excited about working with the business community and education leaders to ensure our students are afforded a quality education,” Parrott said. “The staff of Wake Education Partnership is committed to advocating for a world-class education system and I am honored to lead the organization at this time.”
In announcing Parrott’s selection to Partnership trustees and directors, Brown also thanked current President Ann Denlinger for her many contributions to public education and her specific work at the Partnership the past three years.
“Through her leadership, the Partnership has grown more relevant and needed today than at any time in its history,” Brown said.
About the Partnership
Wake Education Partnership is a non-profit formed in 1983 with the help of the local business community and the Wake County Public School System. It works with policymakers, business leaders and educators in an effort to promote excellent public schools for all children.
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