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On New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), former Guilford County Schools’ Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green was sworn in as the new N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction at Haynes-Inman Education Center in Jamestown, N.C. Green was administered the oath by Federal Judge N. Carlton Tilley Jr., for whom Green clerked after graduating from Duke Law School.
Prior to becoming the state’s education chief, Green served as executive director of the Z. Smith Reynold Foundation in Winston-Salem. In addition, he previously served in high administrative positions with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Co. Schools. Green chose Haynes-Inman and the site for his swearing-in ceremony to honor his late mother, a special education teacher, and to highlight the school’s recognition as a 2024 State School of Character by Character.org.
“I believe that North Carolina’s public school system desperately needs a bold vision, direction, and, ultimately, a plan that can galvanize all North Carolinians,” he said to more than 150 guests, family, and friends at the swearing-in ceremony. “Achieving Educational Excellence and becoming the best public school system in the country is my vision for North Carolina’s public schools. We can realize this vision by combining high academic achievement and strong character development with a relentless pursuit of excellence.”
Green is seeking public input to assist him in advocating for all public school students. His initiative, Mo Wants to Know, will guide him as he meets and listens to students, parents, educators, community members, faith leaders, business leaders, and “anyone passionate about public education.”
Later this month, Green will begin a statewide listening tour, an element of a detailed entry plan “to work collaboratively with the State Board of Education (SBE) and to develop good working relationships with various organizations and individuals, such as the North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA) and the North Carolina Governor.
“It is important that I have an effective and successful entry into the department which I am leading,” he said.
Green said his vision for North Carolina public schools includes six pillars:
“I also intend to use this platform to remind us that being a public school educator is a noble profession, one that must be revered,” Green said during his swearing-in ceremony. “My appreciation for what public school educators have done or are currently doing and will do is boundless. I thank you. I love you. I revere you.”
A Democrat, Green succeeds Republican Catherine Truitt. He defeated Republican Michele Morrow in the November 2024 election.
Green’s office said the public can respond online to Mo Wants to Know at: https://www.dpi.nc.gov/about-dpi/state-superintendent-public-instruction.
