Dr. Jeff Cox currently serves as President of the North Carolina Community College System. Previously, he was the President of Wilkes Community College, a position he held since July 1, 2014. Prior to that appointment, Dr. Cox was Superintendent of Alleghany County Schools for almost nine years. He served as Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum & Instruction for Lee County Schools. Dr. Cox was an elementary principal and assistant principal in Union County Schools. He began his career in education as a high school teacher and coach some 27 years ago.

Dr. Cox was a finalist for the North Carolina Superintendent of the Year in 2011. He served for many years on the North Carolina State Superintendents’ Association Executive Board. Governor Bev Perdue appointed Dr. Cox to serve on the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards Commission in 2011. He was appointed by the State Board of Community Colleges to serve on the MyFutureNC Commission, a group of top North Carolina thought leaders from the education, business, philanthropy, faith-based, and nonprofit communities and ex officio representatives from the North Carolina House of Representatives, Senate, and Governor’s office established to discuss state education and training needs, identify obstacles to meeting those needs, and generate policy recommendations.

In 2017, Dr. Cox was awarded an Aspen Presidential Fellowship for Community College Excellence. He was one of 40 college leaders in the country selected for this prestigious program through a rigorous process that considered candidates’ abilities to take strategic risks, lead strong teams, cultivate partnerships, and focus on results-oriented improvements for greater student success and access.  Dr. Cox used what he learned in this year-long fellowship to launch a new five-year Strategic Plan Wilkes Community College is implementing to expand its efforts to improve the economic mobility of the citizens in the college’s service area and beyond.

In 2001, Dr. Cox earned his Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of North Carolina—Charlotte. He also has a Master’s in School Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in English—Secondary Education, both of which he earned from Appalachian State University. He enjoys spending time with his wife, Reba, and their three boys—Dylan, Evan and Zack (and Dylan’s fiancé, Shae) and their four dogs—Bella, Shiloh, Piper and Sadie May. He also loves fishing, hiking, and playing golf.