Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools picks Virginia educator to be new superintendent
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board announced Monday that Virginia school administrator Nyah Hamlett will be its next superintendent.
Hamlett was chosen from 36 candidates who came from 14 states and territories, the school district announced in a news release.
“The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education unanimously and enthusiastically supports the selection of Dr. Nyah Hamlett as our next superintendent,” board Chair Mary Ann Wolf said in the release. “We are certain that Dr. Hamlett’s demonstrated commitment to equity, communication and transparency makes her selection a strong choice for our schools and our community.”
She will start Jan. 1.
Hamlett has more than 16 years of experience in Virginia schools and has been chief of staff for Loudoun County Public Schools since 2019, advising the superintendent and helping to lead the district’s equity efforts.
The Loudoun County school district, west of Washington, D.C., is the third largest in Virginia with more than 81,000 students in 95 schools. By comparison the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools has more than 12,000 students in 20 schools, according to the Public School Review website.
In the release, Hamlett said she and her husband are excited to raise their three children in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area.
“I am so honored to have been selected to serve the beautifully diverse Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools community as superintendent, and I am very appreciative for the board’s confidence in me,” she said. “I look forward to working collaboratively with the board and the community to remove barriers and create opportunities for each student, staff, and family to thrive and grow.”
Before working in Loudoun County, Hamlett spent 12 years with the Henrico County Public Schools in Virginia, at both the school and central office levels, including five years as assistant superintendent for instructional support, according to the release. She began her career as a special education teacher in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools.
Hamlett has a bachelor’s degree in speech-language pathology and audiology from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, according to the release. She has two master’s degrees in K-12 reading and educational leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach, and a doctorate in educational policy, planning and leadership from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Hamlett succeeds Superintendent Pam Baldwin, who resigned in April amid criticism over a now-canceled $767,070 professional development contract with consultant Education Elements, The News & Observer reported.
This story was originally published November 23, 2020 at 6:06 PM with the headline "Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools picks Virginia educator to be new superintendent."