Catherine Truitt

Catherine Truitt

Republican Party

Prior offices

North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Successor: Mo Green

Predecessor: Mark Johnson

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Elections and appointments

Last election

March 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Maryland, 1994

Graduate

University of Washington, 1997

Personal

Birthplace

Cincinnati, Ohio

Religion

Nondenominational protestant

Profession

Executive

Contact

Campaign website

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Catherine Truitt (Republican Party) was the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. She assumed office on January 1, 2021. She left office on January 1, 2025.

Truitt (Republican Party) ran for re-election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction. She lost in the Republican primary on March 5, 2024.

Biography

Catherine Truitt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Truitt earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1994 and a master's degree from the University of Washington in 1997. Her career experience includes working as the chancellor for Western Governors University (WGU) North Carolina, a high school teacher, a turnaround coach, an education advisor for former Governor Pat McCrory, an associate vice president for P-12 Partnerships, and for the University of North Carolina's general administration. Truitt has served as a board member for TLC for the Severe and Profoundly Disabled and for the Nurse-Family Partnership of North Carolina.

Elections

2024

See also: North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2024

General election

General election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Mo Green defeated Michele Morrow in the general election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mo Green (D)	51.2	2,837,606
		Michele Morrow (R)	48.8	2,706,953

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,544,559
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• James Carter (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Mo Green defeated C.R. Katie Eddings and Kenon Crumble in the Democratic primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mo Green	65.8	431,922
		C.R. Katie Eddings	24.9	163,234
		Kenon Crumble	9.3	60,844

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 656,000
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Michele Morrow defeated incumbent Catherine Truitt in the Republican primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michele Morrow	52.1	457,151
		Catherine Truitt	47.9	420,270

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 877,421
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Truitt in this election.

2020

See also: North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election, 2020

General election

General election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Catherine Truitt defeated Jen Mangrum in the general election for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Catherine Truitt (R)	51.4	2,753,220
		Jen Mangrum (D)	48.6	2,605,169

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,358,389
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Watch the Candidate Conversation for this race!

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Jen Mangrum defeated Keith Sutton, Constance Johnson, James Barrett, and Michael Maher in the Democratic primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jen Mangrum	33.2	378,396
		Keith Sutton	26.6	303,592
		Constance Johnson	21.1	240,710
		James Barrett	10.8	122,855
		Michael Maher	8.3	95,239

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,140,792
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction

Catherine Truitt defeated D. Craig Horn in the Republican primary for North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Catherine Truitt	56.7	391,915
		D. Craig Horn	43.3	299,578

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 691,493
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Catherine Truitt did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Catherine Truitt completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Truitt's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

The surest pathway to economic prosperity and freedom in this country is still education. But we are not educating ALL students in North Carolina. I am a lifelong educator with 13 years' experience in classroom teaching and coaching, and I served as Governor Pat McCrory's Senior Education Advisor from 2015-2016. In this role I worked with education institutions and advocacy groups across the entire education spectrum-PreK, K-12, community colleges, and our four-year institutions, giving me a wide lens through which to view the purpose of education. Since 2017 I have led WGU NC, a nonprofit, 100% online university dedicated to providing access to higher education to those who might not have it otherwise. Our model makes us the most innovative university in the U.S. and I'm proud to say that three Teachers of the Year in North Carolina this year are WGU graduates. This executive experience combined with my policy work and years in the classroom make me uniquely qualified for this role. I am a military spouse, mother of two children in Wake County Public Schools (and one graduate), a breast cancer survivor, and tireless advocate for children. I am running because I am the right person at the right time to put students at the center of education reform in North Carolina so that all children graduate college and career ready.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Academic achievement for ALL students in North Carolina has not improved for over 30 years, regardless of which party has been in charge and how much money has been given. We have a 30-point achievement gap between low-income students and their wealthier counterparts that hasn't budged since the 90's. We must acknowledge that money alone will not improve outcomes for children and start doing some root cause analysis. What are we doing wrong? What can we do differently? Only then can we begin to ensure all students are being served by public education.
• Before COVID-19, job growth in North Carolina was on track to outpace population growth by 2024. However, only 49% of our residents between 25-44 have a post- high school credential of marketplace value! We have always been able to meet workforce demand because we are a net importer of talent. But it's time to start educating ALL North Carolinians. This starts with acknowledging that not all kids need to attend a four-year university after graduation. We must have alternative pathways that lead to credentials, including community colleges, apprenticeships, micro-credentials, and certificates-all of which will lead to greater participation in the labor market.
• Education reform and the policy changes that follow MUST be about students, not the system of education. Schools exist to serve students, not to give people jobs. We have a system now that requires students and families adjust to it, rather than the other way around. This must change. Every decision we make at the state level must start with one question: is this what's best for students?

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

1. Work collaboratively with the State Board of Education and the legislature to enact the best policy recommendations for ensuring a fair and equitable distribution of funding to schools, including changing the funding formula to allow for equity of resources.

2. Our students and teachers and burdened with too much pointless testing. We must overhaul our school accountability and testing system so that it is student-centered and reflective of the work that teachers and students are doing to grow their students as well as relevant to parents and guardians.

3. 67% of 8th graders do not read nor do math proficiently in North Carolina. We must launch a statewide literacy campaign centered around the Science of Reading (phonics) that will strive to end the state's decades-long inability to ensure all students can read proficiently.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Our State Constitution provides for a free, sound, basic education for all children in North Carolina. It is the role of the State Board of Education to provide this education alongside its administrative agency, the Department of Public Instruction. The State Superintendent is the head of this agency, which has about 560 employees and a $10 billion budget. While this role has no regulatory authority over local superintendents, the State Superintendent plays an integral role in advocating for teachers, principals, students, and education policy at the legislature. This person also oversees all statewide education initiatives related to school accountability, school turnaround efforts, and efforts to provide equity and excellence to ALL students in North Carolina.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

My grandfather grew up in rural Ohio speaking Swiss-German at home. The son of farmers, he became a high school math teacher in 1927. He eventually rose to become the superintendent of his county, going to school summers while painting barns to earn money. He was the treasurer of his church for 30 years and his name was synonymous with integrity. Although he retired in 1968, there is still a community scholarship named for him. He and my grandmother, who taught 3rd grade for 32 years, raised two children in a town of 500 people who went on to become successful in their own right. I grew up hearing stories about how much his students loved him and how he never, ever had to raise his voice to earn respect. When I was seven he took me to see Star Wars in the theater. There were a bunch of teenage boys behind us causing a raucous. He turned around to look at them and said in a low voice, "Please be quiet. You are disturbing those around you." We didn't hear another sound out of those boys. I loved being around my grandfather. He was a great math tutor (and I needed that!), loved to fish, and was a beloved part of his community because his personal life and community service were one in the same. I have always strived to be the same person at work as I am at home and at church. Good leadership starts with integrity and my grandfather embodied this in all he did.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am always 100% dedicated to whatever I choose to do. I love building relationships around a common goal and thrive on seeing things through to completion. Authentic leadership is always my goal and I will enable my team to be the best they can be.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I consider myself an educator first and a politician last. Recognizing that this role is about doing what's right for students and that sometimes this is in conflict with that's right for certain adults is the core responsibility for the State Superintendent.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Improving literacy rates for low-income students and students of color is the most important thing I could accomplish in this role.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I have a lot of memories of the Carter Administration, including asking my parents questions about what an energy crisis was (how could we run out of electricity?). But the Iran hostage crisis is something I remember following and discussing at school. I was 8 years old and had no idea where Tehran was but was scared for the hostages. And of course, I remember when they were freed. I wrote a letter to President Reagan thanking him.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first official job (outside of babysitting) was at Godiva Chocolates at the mall in 1988 over Christmas Break. I had it for two weeks until I went back to school in January. When I graduated from high school I moved to then-West Germany to work as a nanny. This experience had an incredible impact on my world view. I attended German language school and was the only American in my class (and the youngest). I had a Polish classmate who was scared to death of the looming reunification of Germany and sat between a man from Israel and a man from Palestine. I happened to be in Frankfurt the day the boarder fell in November 1989. Living and working in another country made me understand that there is another world outside of America, but also made me appreciate how lucky I was to be an American.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Little House on the Prairie books have always been my favorites. I reread them as an adult a few years ago and cannot believe how difficult life was for American Pioneers. I especially love the book when Laura becomes a teacher. She only wants to teach so she can earn money to pay for her sister to attend a school for the blind in Iowa. Laura must live with a horrible family for the duration of her time teaching at the school but she perseveres and completes the teaching assignment-all while in 20-degrees-below-zero weather.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

"One Foot" by Walk the Moon

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

In 2016 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had no family history of any kind of cancer and had been getting regular mammograms since age 40. I found the lump myself. My husband and children and friends were an incredible support system. After surgery, chemo, and radiation I am cancer free and now have great hair!

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

The Department of Public Instruction includes a division called "District and School Transformation". The State Superintendent is responsible for the quality of this division and its ability to provide supports to struggling and even failing schools. This division has the opportunity to help transform a school and its students and therefore an entire community. Ensuring this division is staffed with excellent educators with a passion for helping students and those who serve them will be a top priority for me.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Many people are not aware that we have an elected State Superintendent and that is this person is part of the Council of State.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

No. In fact, I have advocated publicly throughout the campaign season that this role should not be elected but rather should be appointed, as it is in nearly all other states AND as it is with the President of our Community College System Office and the President of our UNC System Office. Electing someone to this position who has had to fundraise and campaign like a politician further politicizes a job that should not be political.

The State Superintendent should have teaching experience but also should have worked in education policy as well as have experience leading an organization. The K-12 education budget is $10 billion and the Department of Public Instruction has over 560 employees. Executive experience is a must.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

1. First-hand knowledge of what it's like to be a public school teacher

2. Ability to recognize all stakeholders' points of view and build consensus
3. Strong relationships at the legislature
4. Understanding of how the full continuum of public education works in our state, from PreK through the UNC System
5. Executive leadership experience

6. Strong desire to slough off the old in favor of the new when it's right for students and the courage to do so in the face of opposition

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Mark Johnson (R)	North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction 2021-2025	Succeeded by Mo Green (D)