Before briefly serving as state superintendent of education in his home state of Mississippi, Dr. Taylor spent two years with the NC Department of Public Instruction as deputy state superintendent. In this role, he supervised a number of areas, including federal programs, NC Virtual Public School, school operations, and school nutrition, while also working closely with the state board of education and superintendent on mission and vision development, legislative and policy development, and program implementation and evaluation.

Dr. Taylor served as superintendent of Bladen County Schools (BCS) for nearly a decade. He was named the 2017 Sandhills RESA Superintendent of the Year and the 2018 NCAAHPERD Superintendent of the Year for his work in school nutrition, health, and physical education. He was also awarded the Friday Medal in 2017 from NC State University’s Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and received the Friends of Nutrition Award from the NC Child Nutrition Association in 2018.

Before joining BCS, Dr. Taylor worked as assistant superintendent for administrative services in Clinton City Schools. He also worked as a principal, assistant principal, and middle school teacher for Cumberland County Schools. In addition, he has served as an advisor to the schools of education at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Fayetteville State University.

Dr. Taylor received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He obtained a master’s degree in school administration and a doctorate in educational leadership from Fayetteville State University.