Superintendent June Atkinson has served as state superintendent since 2005, when she was elected the state’s first female superintendent. Since 2014, she has also served as president of the council of chief state school officers.
Prior to becoming superintendent, Atkinson taught high school in Roanoke, Va., and Charlotte, NC. Atkinson joined the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in 1976, where she worked for almost 28 years before becoming superintendent.
Below, hear our podcast interview with her on the education issues important to the race for superintendent of public instruction, which will be decided in November.