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GATESVILLE – Dr. Barry Williams, Superintendent of Gates County Schools, has been named the 2023 Superintendent of the Year for the Northeast Regional Educational Service Agency (NERESA).

Dr. Williams is currently in his 13th year as the Superintendent of Gates County Schools and has 29 years of experience in education with 14 years as a superintendent, nine years as a school administrator and six years as a teacher and coach.

This marks the second time in less than five years that Dr. Williams has received the honor of being named NERESA Superintendent of the Year by his peers. He first earned that honor in 2019.

“While I am very excited about the honor of being named superintendent of the year for the second time, the honor is really a testament to the school district,” Dr. Williams noted. “I am very proud to be the superintendent of Gates County Public Schools and having the privilege to work with positive, high-quality teachers, staff and administrators and wonderful students is the best reward.”

Dr. Williams has vast experience in North Carolina as a superintendent. At the regional and state levels, he has served on the Executive Board of the North Carolina School Superintendents Association (NCSSA), and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the NERESA. Dr. Williams has participated in every Next Generation NC programs, all Digital Leadership Programs, the Future Focused Network Program, the Leadership for Innovation Program and the Executive Leadership Program. He currently serves on the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT) Board of Trustees having been appointed to the board by Governor Roy Cooper.

During his tenure in Gates County, Dr. Williams has received the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Next Generation NC program and was recognized by the North Carolina Health and Occupations Students of America (HOSA) as their Superintendent of the Year. In 2021, he was honored with the Dwayne Stalling Leadership Award.

At the national level, Dr. Williams is a member of ASCD, NASS and AASA. He completed the AASA National Superintendent Certification program in 2020. He has also given presentations at a variety of conferences at the state and national levels. Most recently, he was named by the National Association of School Superintendents (NASS) as a finalist for the NASS Superintendent of the Year.

Through his service in Gates County as the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Williams shared he is most proud of “the hard-working dedicated employees who provide our students with the best educational experiences and a supportive and engaged Board of Education.”

NERESA is made up of 19 school districts in northeast North Carolina. The agency serves to make connections between and among educators, school districts, schools, universities, and community colleges, the North Carolina Department Public of Instruction, professional organizations, and other regional educational service agencies.

As the 2023 NERESA Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Williams is one of eight superintendents in North Carolina who will vie for the honor of NC State Superintendent of the Year at the North Carolina School Boards Association conference in November.