Rick Southerland (New Hanover County Board of Education, North Carolina, candidate 2026)

Rick Southerland

Democratic Party

Candidate, New Hanover County Board of Education

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 3, 2026

Education

High school

New Hanover High School

Bachelor's

East Carolina University, 1994

Graduate

American University, 2001

Graduate

Hollins University, 2008

Personal

Profession

Education Administration

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Rick Southerland (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Hanover County Board of Education in North Carolina. Southerland was on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 3, 2026.^[source]

Southerland completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Rick Southerland provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on January 25, 2026:

• High school: New Hanover High School
• Graduate: Hollins University, 2008
• Graduate: American University, 2001
• Bachelor's: East Carolina University, 1994
• Profession: Education Administration
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign website
• Campaign Facebook
• LinkedIn

Elections

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for New Hanover County Board of Education (4 seats)

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for New Hanover County Board of Education on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Nelson Beaulieu
	Submit photo	Wendy Dale
	Submit photo	Margie Gewirtzman
	Submit photo	Jerry Jones Jr.
		Brittnei LaRue
	Submit photo	Rick Southerland

---

	Incumbency information for this race was not available.
= 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.

Republican primary

Republican primary for New Hanover County Board of Education (4 seats)

Josie Barnhart (R), Pat Bradford (R), Amy Dunning (R), Melissa Mason (R), and Chris Sutton (R) ran in the Republican primary for New Hanover County Board of Education on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Josie Barnhart
	Submit photo	Pat Bradford
	Submit photo	Amy Dunning
	Submit photo	Melissa Mason
		Chris Sutton

---

	Incumbency information for this race was not available.
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Southerland in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Rick Southerland completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Southerland's responses.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Rick Southerland is a native Wilmingtonian who attended New Hanover County Public Schools in North Carolina from kindergarten through graduation. A seasoned, certified educator of 30 years, Rick taugth in NC, GA, NV, MD, and Washington, DC. In higher education, he worked at East Carolina University, University of Nevada, Reno, University of Maryland, Baltimore County and was Associate Professor of Dance Education at Goucher College. His administrative roles have included Director of Writing, Arts, and Media Studies for graduate and undergraduate programs at Goucher and was the Arts Education Director for the Sierra Arts Foundation in Reno. Rick has served in many leadership roles both in work and in service including, as well as an administrator in nonprofit organizations and higher education. A researcher and writer for national teacher assessments and national standards, a consultant for higher education program accreditation, he has served as President of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), and is Vice Chair on the board for the Language of Dance Center USA.

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?

• Student Safety
• Student Support
• Students Reaching their Fullest Potential

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Public Education Policy on curriculum, workforce development, and funding

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.

See also

2026 Elections

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Candidate

New Hanover County Board of Education

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