Mr. Mark Garrett joined the Henderson County Public Schools in 2022 after serving as the Superintendent of the McDowell County Schools for nine years where he was named the 2021 N.C. Western Region Superintendent of the Year and the 2015 School Based Health Alliance N.C. Superintendent of the Year. Prior to becoming a superintendent, Mr. Garrett served as the assistant superintendent in McDowell, principal of Avery County High School in Newland, NC, and principal of Valle Crucis School in Watauga County. He has worked as a high school assistant principal and began his educational career as a middle school social studies teacher. Mr. Garrett has worked for school systems in North Carolina and Tennessee.