Dr. Frank Creech has been selected as a 2020 Dr. Samuel Houston Leadership Award winner for the Aspiring Superintendent program

The North Carolina School Superintendents' Association (NCSSA) and the North Carolina Alliance for School Leadership Development (NCASLD) has announced the selection of Dr. Creech, as a recipient of the Dr. Samuel Houston Leadership Award. This annual award is presented to a graduate of the North Carolina School Superintendents' Association Aspiring Superintendent Program, a program which is designed to empower transformational education leaders for North Carolina's public schools. 

The award is named in honor of Dr. Samuel Houston who is President and Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center. Dr. Houston served as superintendent of the Mooresville Graded School District for ten years where he opened the first year round school in North Carolina. Dr. Houston has been a champion for strategic planning, student performance and accountability, meeting the needs of the 21st century workforce, skills for the STEM world and building education 

partnerships. Dr. Houston also served as the first executive director of the University of North Carolina Center for Leadership Development. 

Dr. Houston was awarded the Jay Robinson Leadership Award as an Exemplary Educator for his outstanding contributions to statewide public K-12 education. He also earned the RJR-Nabisco Foundation's China Breaker Award for implementing educational change. He has been inducted into the Appalachian State University Reich College of Education's Rhododendron Society and the East Carolina University's Education Hall of Fame and has received the Distinguished Career Award from the University of North Carolina - Greensboro School of Education. 

Jack Hoke, Executive Director of the North Carolina School Superintendents' Association said that Dr. Creech exemplifies the traits that have guided Dr. Samuel Houston's career in educational leadership. 

Dr. Creech serves as Chief Academic Officer of Greene County Schools, Dr. Creech has a commitment to continuous improvement, high standards of ethical conduct, strategic planning, improving student performance and meeting the needs of the 21st century workforce. 

Dr. Patrick Miller, superintendent of Greene County Schools, said, "We in Greene County Schools are proud that Dr. Creech received the Samuel Houston Leadership Award. This affirms what we already know - that Dr. Creech is an outstanding leader who has earned the respect of everyone with whom he works. We are lucky to have him here in Greene County!" 

Dr. Creech shared, “I am honored to receive this award especially from among such a strong cohort of proven district leaders. I have great respect for Dr. Houston's work. He has made a tremendous impact on students, teachers and principals through his leadership and his continued advocacy of STEM Education."