Dr. Patricia Hilliard serves as a research scholar at the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University. She works with school districts to design, develop,and deliver professional learning for teachers, administrators, and instructional support staff. Hilliard led the NC Conference for Educational Equity which brought together more than 2,000 educators. The conference challenged them to rethink their current practices, disrupt our broken system, and create equitable practices and policies to better support each and every student.

She earned a Doctorate of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Urban Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She has been a high school teacher, university instructor, lead instructor, and instructional coach.