Editor’s Note: Gov. James B. Hunt, Jr., passed away on Dec. 19, 2025. His daughter, Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, presented these remarks on Jan. 11 at the 25th anniversary celebration of The Hunt Institute.
Dad passed away just a few weeks ago, and he would want me to come here and speak to you all because of how much you all mean to him.
Dad did not see The Hunt Institute as something that existed because of him. He saw it as something that existed for a clear purpose: for students, for educators, and for the future of public education.
Education wasn’t just one issue in a long list for him. It was the issue he was known for.
And if you knew him, as so many of you did, you know that he didn’t believe in playing it safe when the stakes were high.
He believed leadership meant being willing to be uncomfortable, being willing to ask hard questions, being willing to listen carefully even when the answers were challenging, and being willing to stand firm when you needed to.
And that’s what I want to talk to you all about today.
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The Hunt Institute was built in that same spirit. It earned its reputation by being thoughtful, credible, and willing to push the conversation forward. By saying, “Here’s what the evidence shows, now let’s imagine what comes next.” That kind of leadership isn’t about being loud. It’s about being clear. And clarity matters now more than ever before.
Every institution reaches moments where there is an opportunity to decide what kind of organization it wants to be. Not just in mission statement, but in impact. Is it focused on sustaining what exists or is it focused on expanding what’s possible?
My dad believed leadership isn’t about protecting systems. It’s about serving people.
And when systems fall short, leaders don’t step back. They step up.
The Hunt Institute has earned trust because it brings seriousness, integrity, and honesty to its work even when the conversations are complicated.
Let’s be honest. We’re at a moment when public education is under attack, and too often, those attacks are being met with hesitation instead of resolve. Too many students are still being left behind. Too many educators are carrying more than they should have to.
And we all know this, when a society truly decides something matters, it finds a way to invest in it. That’s not just a budget question. It’s a values question.
My dad believed teachers deserve respect, not just in words, but in priorities. He believed students deserve good schools that truly work for them. And he believed research matters because good decisions start with research.
The Hunt Institute has the opportunity and the responsibility to help shape what comes next: to elevate the facts, to frame the future, to help leaders see, not just what is, but what can be.
We are at a real crossroads of education, and the choices we make now will matter for a long time to come. The solutions we seek will require curiosity, courage, and imagination.
Watching my dad, I learned that sometimes leadership means asking, “Are we still reaching toward the purpose that brought us here?”
The Hunt legacy, my dad’s legacy, isn’t about a name on a building. It’s about courage. It’s about believing education can be better and choosing to work towards that belief.
So my challenge for you today is this. Be curious enough to seek the facts. Be honest enough to see what needs strengthening. And be bold enough to lead, especially when it’s hard.
That’s what my dad believed in. That’s what this moment calls for. That’s how this institute continues to honor that legacy.
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