David Coley, Ed. D., has 30 years experience in public education as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. His last appointment as principal was at Cary High School, in Wake County, North Carolina, from 1999 until 2005. During his tenure, Cary High School received the US Department of Education Blue Ribbon award in 2002. The school was also honored in 2005 with a special award from the N.C. Association of School Administrators for outstanding student performance. Cary High was one of six North Carolina high schools to receive an academic excellence award noting high academic growth over a period of eight years. Dave left Cary High School in 2005 to join the staff of the Principals Executive Program in Chapel Hill, NC.

Currently, Dave teaches in the Master of School Administration program at Western Carolina University and supervises administrative interns across the state. Prior to joining the faculty at Western Carolina, he was the Director of the Leadership Institute for High School Redesign with the North Carolina New Schools Project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dave is a frequent presenter at regional and national conferences and workshop facilitator for school districts around the country. He has served on the Principal Advisory Board for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and made presentations at conferences in San Diego, Atlanta, and Washington, DC.

The author resides in Cary, North Carolina.

Affiliation

Western Carolina University