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State Superintendent Mo Green hires Geoff Coltrane and Elizabeth Yelverton to lead government affairs

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Geoff Coltrane, center, at Moore Square Magnet Middle School. Courtesy of Freebird McKinney

State Superintendent Mo Green is beginning to announce new hires, and with the long session of the legislature about to begin, it is no surprise that who will lead his government affairs team are the first hires announced in the new year.

Green previously announced in November 2024 that Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin will serve as his deputy superintendent.

According to a press release, Geoff Coltrane will serve as the senior director of government affairs and strategy and Elizabeth Yelverton will serve as legislative liaison. Both will also support the State Board of Education’s legislative efforts.

Coltrane comes to Department of Public Instruction (DPI) from the NC Governor’s office, where he served as deputy public policy director and senior education advisor. In this role, according to the press release, he advised the governor and senior staff on K-12 and postsecondary education policy issues and served as the governor’s primary liaison to the State Board of Education, NC Community College System, UNC System, and other K-12 and postsecondary stakeholders. In addition to roles with the NC School of Science and Mathematics and the Hunt Institute, Coltrane spent five years in the classroom as a kindergarten and first grade teacher at Forest View Elementary School in Durham Public Schools. Coltrane earned a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University and bachelor’s degrees in elementary education and history from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Yelverton had been working at the North Carolina Association of School Administrators, where she served as the legal affairs and policy manager as well as executive board attorney. In this role, according to the press release, she represented K-12 public school administrators in nonpartisan advocacy efforts as a registered lobbyist during meetings with government entities such as the NC General Assembly, the State Board of Education, and other education stakeholders. Previously, Yelverton also spent time at the NC General Assembly as a senate intern and research assistant, as well as roles with Baddour, Parker, Hine & Hale, P.C. and LexisNexis Legal Research Services. A licensed attorney, Yelverton earned a juris doctorate from Campbell University and bachelor’s degree in English from NC State University.

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“I’m excited that Geoff and Elizabeth are joining the Department of Public Instruction,” Green said in the press release. “Their combined wealth of experience in North Carolina state government and education will be invaluable as we work to uplift public education in North Carolina.”

Coltrane and Yelverton begin their work at DPI on January 21.

Here is more information about Green’s organizational chart and other open positions.