Teresa Cunningham-Brown
Senior Director, Human Resources
Wake County Public School System
What is your definition of leadership? Genuine Leadership is extremely complex and systematic in nature. Succinctly stated by the NC Standards for School Ars, “It is not just knowing what to do, but why to do it, how to do it and when to do it.” It is the ability to build relationships and to influence change. Leadership is about articulating vision, creating opportunities for others to grow, and motivating people to implement positive sustained improvement. Leadership is the ability to find creative and innovative solutions even when traditional wisdom says there are none.
Headquarters: Cary, North Carolina
Web Site: www.wcpss.net
Primary Business: Education.
Employees: 18,000+
What is your most rewarding career accomplishment? Earning the Cornell University Diversity Professional Advanced Practitioner certification and being able to apply the knowledge, skills, and competencies to champion social justice issues in public education. As an advocate for marginalized and underrepresented groups, my work in teacher retention and recruitment provides opportunities for me to impact student learning by working to ensure that all children have access to high quality teachers. The quality of life that minority students are afforded is directly related to their academic achievement and, more importantly, to our collective ability as educators to close educational performance gaps by helping teachers improve student learning.
Title: Senior Director, Human Resources
Education: Master of School Administration (North Carolina State University);
Bachelor of Arts – Political Science/History (University of North Carolina at Wilmington)
What I’m Reading: Coaching Conversations: Transforming Your School One Conversation at a Time, by Ms. Linda G. (Gross) Cheliotes
My Philosophy: Inspire Others.
Interests: Gardening, bird watching, walking, family.
