FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2025 | Raleigh, N.C.
Fourteen educators selected statewide to advance instructional excellence, leadership, and opportunity for students
The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity announces the inaugural cohort of 14 Charlotte Hawkins Brown (CHB) Fellows, honoring the legacy of Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, pioneering educator and founder of the Palmer Memorial Institute. This first cohort reflects the breadth and brilliance of North Carolina’s educator workforce and will engage in equity-centered professional learning, leadership development, and collaboration designed to improve student outcomes and strengthen school communities.
Drawn from district and charter schools across the state, the Fellows collectively teach at the elementary, middle, and high school levels, with the largest share serving elementary grades. They represent core instructional areas—English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies—as well as special education, library/media, and technology. Most work in Title I schools serving predominantly Black and Brown students. Classroom experience ranges from 1 to 14 years, with 71% in their first five years of teaching. Reflecting the state’s educator pipeline, 12 of 14 attended at least one North Carolina college or university; seven are HBCU alumni and seven are alumni of other institutions. Pathways into the profession are similarly diverse: 64.3% entered through lateral/alternative certification, while 35.7% earned a traditional elementary education degree.
“This inaugural cohort embodies the commitment, creativity, and courage our schools need,” said Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith, Senior Director of the Dudley Flood Center. “They are grounded in community, serious about instructional excellence, and determined to expand opportunity for every child. CHB Fellows will build skills, networks, and strategies that translate directly to stronger classrooms and more supportive school environments.”
The CHB Fellows program aligns directly with the DRIVE Task Force recommendations and the ongoing DRIVE Coalition work of the Flood Center to diversify and sustain North Carolina’s educator workforce. By providing cohort-based induction, mentoring, and leadership development; strengthening partnerships among districts, educator-preparation programs, and community organizations; and creating a policy-to-practice feedback loop through the Coalition’s shared learning agenda, the fellowship advances statewide priorities in recruitment, preparation, support, and retention—particularly for educators of color.
Grounded in Dr. Brown’s legacy, the fellowship pursues four core objectives that guide the experience from orientation through capstone. Fellows reclaim the legacy of Black education by engaging deeply with North Carolina’s historical record and the resilience and excellence of educators like Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown; reshape classroom practice through culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogy that honors the assets and identities of students; reconnect with a statewide community of peers to design strategies that strengthen the retention and well-being of educators of color; and respond to pressing equity challenges by completing a capstone project that integrates historical understanding, instructional relevance, and actionable leadership. Together, these objectives operationalize the DRIVE recommendations by linking evidence, professional learning, and networked support to tangible improvements in teaching and learning.
Program sessions will be facilitated in partnership with Dr. Cherrel Miller Dyce, Professor of Education and Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education. A renowned scholar and K–20 researcher with two decades of social-justice work, Dr. Dyce centers racial equity, social justice, and critical self-reflection in her scholarship and practice. She is a sought-after consultant to public and charter schools, higher-education institutions, and private organizations, and has published extensively—including co-authoring Black Males Matter: A Blueprint for Creating School and Classroom Environments to Support Their Academic and Social Development. Her values-driven approach will anchor seminars, coaching, and reflective practice throughout the fellowship year.
“Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown championed excellence, culture, and community,” added Townsend-Smith. “This cohort advances that legacy while building the future of teaching in North Carolina. We are excited to see this fellowship become a model for educator recruitment and retention statewide.”
For media inquiries, please contact Deanna Townsend-Smith at 919-781-6833 x114 or dtownsend-smith@ncforum.org.
###
About the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity
The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity (Flood Center) serves as a hub to identify and connect organizations, networks, and leaders to address issues of equity, access, and opportunity in education across North Carolina. Leaning on the 70+ years of experience and wisdom of our namesake Dr. Dudley E. Flood, the Flood Center works collaboratively to take action toward addressing issues of systemic racism by advocating for structural changes in policy and practice to build an equitable education system that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of NC’s diverse student population. Specifically, the Dudley Flood Center exists to create an equitable education system by addressing the systemic inequities plaguing the educational system that limit opportunity and access for PK – 12 students and educators. Follow updates from the Flood Center on LinkedIn, Facebook and online at https://floodcenter.org/.
About the Public School Forum of NC
Since 1986, the Public School Forum of North Carolina has been an indispensable and nonpartisan champion of public schools and the most trusted source in the state for research and analysis on vital education issues. We bring together leaders from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy. We do that through research, policy work, innovative programs, advocacy, and continuing education for educators and policymakers. Follow us on Twitter @theNCForum and visit our website at www.ncforum.org.