WS Chronicle

Green

Special to The Chronicle

GREENSBORO – Maurice “Mo” Green, incoming executive director of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem, is the 2016 recipient of the North Carolina Association of Educators’ (NCAE) Excellence in Equity Award.

Each year, NCAE honors one or more individuals or groups for their long-term dedication, commitment, and energy toward the goal of making North Carolina a more equitable community. Green, who has been recognized for his many contributions to public education, was presented the award on Feb. 25 by NCAE Vice President Mark Jewell at the Guilford County School Board meeting.

Green is the outgoing superintendent of Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in North Carolina. He oversaw 217 schools with more than 72,000 students and 10,000 employees. During his tenure, graduation rates increased to 89.3 percent (exceeding the state average of 85.4 percent) and the dropout rate fell to a new low from 2.07 percent to 1.97 percent in 2013-14, well below the state average of 2.28 percent.

Recently, Green was instrumental in bringing the “Say Yes to Education” project to Guilford County. “Say Yes” is a non-profit organization that partners with communities to promote the goal of giving every public high school graduate access to college and other post-secondary scholarships. Students in and around the cities of Greensboro and High Point will be able to attend any of the 16 public universities in North Carolina, as well as a host of private colleges and universities across the country.

Before joining Guilford County Schools in 2008, Green served as the general counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. He also held the positions of chief operating officer and deputy superintendent. Prior to that, he was a partner in the law firm Smith, Helms, Mulliss & Moore LLP in Charlotte. The recipient of numerous accolades, Green is a graduate of Duke University, where he earned both a bachelor’s degree in political science and economics and a law degree.

NCAE is the state’s largest education advocacy organization for public school employees and represents active, retired, and student members.