Dr. Rob Jackson is a native North Carolinian and a proud Public School Graduate. He began his tenure as the Superintendent of the Carteret County Public School System on the Crystal Coast of North Carolina on July 1, 2020, and now serves as the Superintendent for Buncombe County Schools.

He previously served for six years as the Superintendent of the Edenton-Chowan School System in Northeastern North Carolina. During his tenure there, the school system’s Cohort Graduation Rate rose from 78.9% when he arrived to 93% for the Class of 2020. During the most recent school year for which accountability data is available (2018-2019), every school in the school system met or exceeded growth while the Middle School and High School each earned their highest School Performance Grades ever. For three consecutive years, the school system had zero low-performing schools. The school system received “unqualified” (clean) financial audits each year Dr. Jackson has served as Superintendent and for the last three years had no findings, nor Management Letter (considered a “perfect” financial audit). Additionally, D.F. Walker Elementary School was named the North Carolina ESEA National Distinguished School.

Dr. Jackson believes in growing and coaching leaders. During his tenure, among the Edenton-Chowan Schools Leadership Team, two Principals, Mrs. Sheila Evans and Mrs. Michelle White were named as Regional Principal of the Year while Mrs. Casey Bass was named the Regional Career-Technical Education Director of the Year. Two of Dr. Jackson’s former ECPS  Assistant Superintendents are now serving as Superintendents. Additionally, the Board of Education received the NCSBA Board Leadership State Award.

During his career in education, Dr. Jackson has served as a School Secretary, Bus Driver, After-School Associate, Teacher, Assistant Principal, Elementary School Principal, High School Principal, and Chief Communications Officer.

Prior to being named superintendent, he served in Union County Public Schools near Charlotte, NC. While there, he served on the Superintendent’s Executive Cabinet as the Chief Communications Officer, as a principal of an elementary school, and as a principal of two high schools. He actually opened two of the schools as their very first principal. At the last school he served as principal, the high school was named an Honor School of Excellence for academics, earned 11 State Championships in 3 years, and grew what was considered the largest high school band in the history of the county.

Dr. Jackson also served in the US Navy onboard the USS Iwo Jima.

Dr. Jackson was selected as the first Superintendent to receive the Dr. Sam Houston Leadership Award in 2019.

In July 2017, Dr. Jackson was unanimously selected as the Regional Superintendent of the Year, representing the eighteen school districts in Region One. He was the inaugural winner of the Dr. Brad Sneeden Superintendent Leadership Award, is a past North Carolina State Principal of the Year; North Carolina High School Principal of the Year, and National Distinguished Principal.

Dr. Jackson earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Wingate University, an Education Specialist degree from Wingate University, a Master of School Administration degree from Western Carolina University, a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Western Carolina University, and an Associate in Arts degree from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

Dr. Jackson serves in leadership roles for several civic and professional organizations:

• President and Member of the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development
• Vice President and Member of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Executive Board and Board of Directors
• Member of the Executive Board of Directors of the North Carolina School Superintendents Association
• Member of the myFutureNC Advisory Board of Commissioners
• Member of the Carteret County Emergency Management Control Group
• Member of the North Carolina School Superintendents Association
• Member of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators
• Honorary Member of the North Carolina Association of Teacher Assistants
• Past Chairman of the Superintendent’s Council of the Northeastern Regional Educational Service Alliance