In 2021, the Flood Center developed the Flood Center Educational Equity Fellowship Program to develop a more representative legislative and policy-making workforce. This fellowship is specifically geared to recruit graduate students who are members of traditionally underrepresented groups in careers related to education and policy.
To create this pipeline, the Flood Center supports each Fellow in their work by providing professional experience through Flood Center policy and programmatic efforts, a monthly stipend, and learning opportunities through the Dudley Flood Center’s Equity Core Network and Equity Education programming. Each Fellow ends the fellowship having developed key professional skills as well as an understanding of the following topics:
- History of educational inequities in North Carolina
- Current education inequalities facing North Carolina schools and districts
- Roles and responsibilities of of the NC General Assembly, State Board of Education, and Local School Boards in Education
Since developing the Flood Educational Equity Fellowship program in 2021, the Flood Center has supported four Equity Fellows who have substantially contributed to the Flood Center’s programmatic and research efforts.
2023-2024 Flood Center Fellow
I am a lifelong resident of Scotland County, North Carolina, and a proud member of the Lumbee Tribe. I graduated in 1996 with a Teaching Fellows Scholarship to attend UNC-Pembroke. While in college, I worked at the Scotland County Schools District Office as a Data Specialist for Federal Programs and Indian Education and as a Pharmacy Technician at CVS Pharmacy. I graduated with my Bachelor’s Degree in History with an Elementary Education Certification. After college, I taught second and third grade at Laurel Hill Elementary School. During my eight years of teaching, I completed my National Boards in 2005 and was also the 2005 Teacher of the Year at my school. I received my Master’s in School Administration from UNC-Pembroke in 2007 and served as an assistant principal for four years at the elementary level, two years at the high school level, and one year at middle school. After seven years of being an assistant principal, I served Laurel Hill Elementary as principal for five years and was the Principal of the Year in 2017 – 2018 for Scotland County. Next, I served as principal of Scotland Early College High School for four years and now in my seventeenth year in administration, I am back at Laurel Hill Elementary School as principal. In May 2023, I received my Superintendent’s Licensure from Appalachian State University. I am currently finishing my Educational Specialist Degree (EdS) and Doctor of Education (EdD) in Educational Leadership at Appalachian State in May 2024.
I am married to Jason Hood who works at INA Baring in Cheraw, SC. We have two sons: Nichalus Williams who is 28 years old and serving in the Army Reserves and Daetyn Williams who is 22 years old and works for Scotland County Schools and Premier Solutions.
Previous Fellows