Dr. Shannon Cecil Named PCS Director of Federal Programs
Dr. Shannon Cecil, who has 25 years of teaching and administrative experience, has been named Pitt County Schools Director of Federal Programs according to an announcement from Superintendent Dr. Ethan Lenker on Wednesday.
Beginning July 1, she will assume the duties vacated by interim director Dr. Sylvia Mizzell, who served the last three months in that capacity following the retirement of Lavette Ford.
Dr. Cecil will return to a district where she spent time in the classroom and in leadership roles from 2001 to 2016. She taught mathematics and science at Farmville Middle School for 10 years before assistant principal assignments at Bethel (intern) and Pactolus Schools, earning PCS Assistant Principal of the Year honors at the latter in 2015.
"We are thrilled to have Dr. Cecil return to Pitt County Schools," Assistant Superintendent for Educational Programs & Services Dr. Steve Lassiter said. "She brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership experience to her role as director of federal programs. I know first-hand the skills and talents she possesses and I am confident she will be an asset in our district."
Her appointment to rejoin PCS immediately follows a seven-year tenure with Martin County Schools, which included award-winning principal positions at Rodgers Elementary School and Riverside High School. Most recently, Dr. Cecil was the system's director of K-12 curriculum & instruction, in addition to having oversight of federal programs.
A National Board Certified Teacher, Dr. Cecil also participated in the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program at East Carolina University during her transition from the classroom to an administrative leadership capacity from 2010 to 2012. She additionally served as a professional development facilitator for NC Quest Grant, designing and facilitating staff development in common core mathematics.
Dr. Cecil, who began her career as an educator as a math and science teacher with Edgecombe County Schools in 1998, participated and engaged in the North Carolina Future Ready Leadership Program (2014-15), Digital Literacy Leadership Cohort 1 (2017), Distinguished Leaders in Practice (2018) and BB&T Mastering Leadership Dynamics (2019).
After graduating from Ayden-Grifton High School, she earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Campbell in 1996 before following with a master's in school administration and a doctorate in educational leadership from ECU in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
Federal Programs consist of a variety of programs that support the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation. Title I is the keystone of the new North Carolina Elementary Secondary Act Flexibility Waiver (ESEA), which replaces the NCLB Initiative. These programs provide instructional assistance to the school, students, and parents. Programs include Title I, ESL (English as a Second Language) and NCPK (N.C. Pre-K).
