Superintendent of the Year
Congratulations to
Dr. Andrew Houlihan
from
Union County Public Schools
for being selected as the
2026
Southwest Education Alliance
Superintendent of the Year!
Principal of the Year
Congratulations to
Kelly Withrow
from
Lincoln County Schools
for being named the
2025
Southwest Region
Principal of the Year!
Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to
Melissa Culp
from
Lincoln County Schools
for being named the
2026
Southwest Region
Teacher of the Year!
Beginning Teacher of the Year Finalists
Congratulations to the following people
for being named finalists for the
2026 NCCAT Beginning Teacher of the Year
Kennedy Elmore - Cabarrus County Schools
Arjge Brothers - Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Caroline Beam - Lincoln County Schools
CTE Teacher of the Year Finalists
Congratulations to the following people
for being named finalists for the
2026 NCCAT CTE Teacher of the Year
Tina White - Cleveland County Schools
Olivia Atchley - Iredell-Statesville Schools
Gary Andersen - Kannapolis City Schools