Dr. Jerry Oates
The University of Mount Olive will host the annual Braswell Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. in Southern Bank Auditorium. The guest speaker for the event is recently retired Deputy State Superintendent of North Carolina Public Education Dr. Jerry Oates.
Oates has served as an educator for over 28 years. A native of Faison, he is a 1991 graduate of North Duplin High School. Oates attended the University of North Carolina at Wilmington as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and upon graduation, he returned to Duplin County and taught history at James Kenan High School.
Oates returned to Wilmington in 1997 to teach history at John T. Hoggard High School. In 2000, at the age of 26, he was appointed as high school assistant principal. He went on to earn his masters of school administration from UNCW and his doctorate in educational leadership from Fayetteville State University.
Oates has served as a high school and middle school principal in New Hanover County Schools and was recognized as the 2016 Principal of the Year. That same year, he accepted a position as the Chief Human Resources Officer for Brunswick County Schools and became the Associate superintendent 18 months later. In November of 2018, Oates was named the Superintendent of Brunswick County Schools where he successfully led the district through the pandemic and was named the NC Southeast Regional Superintendent of the Year. In February of 2023, Oates was appointed by the Honorable State Superintendent Catherine Truitt, as the Deputy State Superintendent of North Carolina Public Schools.
Oates is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., serves on the Board of Directors for United Way, Advisory Board member for the NC State Employees Credit Union, former member of the Executive Board for the NC School Superintendent’s Association, and serves as the Minister of Music for his church.
The Braswell Lecture is held annually in memory of Jessie Dail Braswell. Braswell taught in Princeton public schools for 34 years and demonstrated a life-long commitment to education. The Jessie Dail and Walter Vernon Braswell Endowment funds the Braswell Scholarship. Since 1998, the Braswell Lecture has featured leaders in North Carolina education and presented speeches on significant issues.
The event is free and the public is invited to attend. For more information, contact Dr. Amanda Bullard-Maxwell at abullard-maxwell@umo.edu.
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University was founded by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists. For more information, visit www.umo.edu.
