Project Team
NC State Principal Preparation Faculty and Staff
Bonnie C. Fusarelli, Ph.D.
Bonnie C. Fusarelli, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis at NC State University and a University Faculty Scholar. She earned a BA in Political Science from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master’s in School Leadership from UT San Antonio and her Ph.D. in Educational Administration from The Pennsylvania State University.
Dr. Fusarelli’s research focuses on educational leadership and policy, the politics of school improvement, educational equity, and organizational change, with a particular focus on state-level education reform and leadership development. In addition to her two books, she has authored over 70 articles published in various research journals. To support her work, Dr. Fusarelli has received over $57 million in grant funding from various organizations including the U.S. Department of Education, the National Science Foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and the state of NC.
She has served as a past President of the Politics of Education Association and has been ranked in Education Week’s Edu-Scholar Public Presence Rankings, which is a national ranking of top scholars who are contributing most substantially to public debates about K-12 and higher education. Dr. Fusarelli has served on several advisory boards, including those for the educational leadership programs at Southern Methodist University and The University of Illinois, Chicago. Dr. Fusarelli is the recipient of numerous teaching awards at both the K-12 and university level, including being an inductee into NC State’s Academy of Outstanding Teachers. The UNC System recognized her work in high-needs schools by awarding her the 2022 Governor James E. Holshouser Award for Excellence in Public Service.
Dr. Fusarelli is the Director of NC State’s Leadership Academies, which are nationally recognized as innovative and effective at preparing school leaders for high-need schools. She can be reached at [email protected]. Please see: go.ncsu.edu/principalprep
Lance Fusarelli, Ph.D.
Lance Fusarelli is a Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy and Director of Graduate Programs. He conducts research in the politics of education, federal education policy (ESSA), school choice and reform, and on superintendents/leadership preparation. He received his Ph.D. in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin (specialization in educational politics and policy), M.A. in government from UT-Austin, and B.A. in History and American Studies from Case Western Reserve University. In 2012, he was ranked 79th in the nation among scholars whose research contributes most substantially to public debates about schools and schooling. He is the author or editor of 7 books and more than 90 journal articles and book chapters. His research has appeared in Educational Researcher, Educational Administration Quarterly, Journal of School Leadership, Journal of Educational Administration, Publius: The Journal of Federalism, and Educational Policy. He serves as Co-Principal Investigator on school leadership grants totaling over $11 million. He was the College of Education recipient of the 2014 Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching, is a member of NC State’s Academy of Outstanding Teachers and was the College of Education nominee for the Chancellor’s Creating Community Outstanding Faculty Award. He can be reached at [email protected].
Faculty and Staff
Karen Anderson, Ed.D.
Dr. Anderson serves as the Cohort Director for the Wake Cohort. She was the previous Cohort Director for the Wake Principal Leadership Program (WPLP). Karen is a proud NC Teaching Fellow and a graduate of North Carolina State University with a B.S. in Elementary Education. She successfully completed the Piedmont Triad Leadership Academy and earned a Master of School Administration degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She received her Educational Specialist (Ed.S) program from Appalachian State University specializing in leading and promoting high-quality student achievement. Most recently, she completed her Ed.D. degree. Her experiences as a teacher, curriculum facilitator, assistant principal, and principal solidified her desire and passion for joining the NELA team in their pursuit of excellence in education. She can be reached at [email protected].
Jenn Ayscue, Ph.D.
Dr. Jenn Ayscue is an associate professor in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and in Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. Her research focuses on school integration in K-12 schools and federal education policy. Her work on school integration examines trends, policies and practices that facilitate or constrain desegregation and integration efforts, and ways of remedying civil rights violations in education. Her research on federal policy examines equity and the Every Student Succeeds Act as well as the use of research in federal policymaking. Prior to joining the faculty at NCSU, Dr. Ayscue served as an American Educational Research Association Congressional Fellow in the United States Senate and as Research Director of The Initiative for School Integration at The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at University of California, Los Angeles. She earned a Ph.D. in Education from UCLA, an MA from Stanford University, and a BA from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She taught elementary school in East Palo Alto, California, and in Charlotte, North Carolina. She can be reached at [email protected].
Lisa Bass, Ph.D.
Dr. Bass is an associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at North Carolina State University. Before coming to NC State, she was an assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Vermont. She has a joint doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy and Comparative and International Education. She has two master’s degrees: the first in Business Administration and the second in Teaching. Her bachelor’s degree is in Economics. Dr. Bass enjoys comparing educational systems internationally and has traveled to Mexico, Ghana, Brazil, Hong Kong, and South Africa. Dr. Bass has a passion for students and mentoring them toward their realization of their research agendas, and to achieve to their fullest potential. To this end, she served as the co-director for the UCEA Barbara Jackson Scholar’s Network for five years. She currently serves UCEA on their Executive Committee; and AERA on the Professional Development Committee. Her primary research interest, broadly, is urban school reform through alternative approaches to schooling. She focuses her work on combatting the harmful effects of Poverty in Education, the Ethics of Caring, Mindfulness in Education, and Emotional Intelligence in Educational Leadership. Her interest in the Ethics of Caring led her to conceptualize the framework, Black Masculine Caring, which is delineated in her EAQ article, Black Male Leaders Care too: An Introduction to Black Masculine Caring in Educational Leadership; and in her edited book, Black Mask-ulinity, a Framework for Black Masculine Caring. Her goal is to positively impact education and educational outcomes for disenfranchised youth. She can be reached at [email protected].
Tim Drake, Ph.D.
Tim Drake is an Associate Professor in Educational Leadership and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. He studies the policies and practices that influence the effectiveness of school leaders. More specifically, he works at the intersection of research, policy, and practice to inform the ways in which school leaders are trained and supported. His current research projects include educator data use, leadership preparation and development, early grades/pre-K leadership, and turnaround school leadership. Dr. Drake is Principal Investigator of the Wallace Foundation’s University Principal Preparation Initiative (UPPI) for NC State’s Principal Academies. In 2018, he was a member of North Carolina’s Education Policy Fellows Program and was named an Emerging Education Policy Scholar by the American Enterprise Institute and Fordham Foundation. He has also served or is currently serving on a number of state committees, including the Principal Pipeline Working Group, the Leandro Principal Planning Workgroup, the Principal Standards Committee, and the Executive Board of the North Carolina Professors of Educational Leadership. He can be reached at [email protected].
Anna Egalite, Ph.D.
Anna J. Egalite is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Education Policy from the University of Arkansas, a masters in elementary education from the University of Notre Dame, and a bachelors in elementary education and history from St. Patrick’s College in Dublin, Ireland. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship in the Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard University. In fall 2017, she served as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Policy at Duke University.
In 2020, she was named a University Faculty Scholar, a program that recognizes outstanding early- and mid-career faculty members for their significant academic achievements and contributions to NC State and the greater community. Egalite was also included on Education Week’s 2020 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings as one of the Top 200 education scholars who had the biggest influence on educational practice and policy in 2019, one of only four junior faculty members in the nation named to the list. In 2017, the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas awarded her the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, and in 2015, she was the recipient of the University of Notre Dame’s Michael Pressley Award for a Promising Scholar in the Education Field.
She has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on grants totaling over six million dollars. Egalite’s scholarly articles have appeared in the journals Economics of Education Review, Education Finance and Policy, World Development, and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Her research has been featured in a number of mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, and The Atlantic. Her research focuses on the evaluation of education policies and programs intended to close racial and economic achievement gaps. Her studies have examined principal effectiveness, school choice policy, school size, the influence of family background on intergenerational economic mobility, and the diversification of the educator labor force. Dr. Egalite can be reached at
[email protected].
Bill Harrison, Ed.D.
Dr. Bill Harrison has been an educator in the public schools of North Carolina since 1974. He has been an elementary school teacher, served as a principal at the elementary and high school levels, worked as an associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction and spent 22 years as a local superintendent. From 2009-13 he chaired the State Board of Education and served as Governor Beverly Perdue’s Senior Advisor for Education Transformation and as a member of her cabinet. Since retiring from the Alamance Burlington School System in 2018, he has been serving as an Instructor for the NCSU MSA program and as a Senior Education Advisor with Participate Learning. Dr. Harrison can be reached at [email protected].
Eddie Price, Ed.D.
Dr. Eddie Price is a thirty-two-year veteran of public education. He worked as a building administrator in both middle and high schools for 12 years and a central level administrator for 5 years serving as Area Superintendent, Chief Academic Officer, and Deputy Superintendent. Dr. Price served as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program from 2018-2023, working alongside the Principal Fellows Commission to merge the Transforming Principal Prep Program with the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program in 2020. Currently, he works as a Director of Partnerships for the North Carolina Education Corps, a non-profit that provides training and coaching for high-impact literacy and math tutors.
He earned his B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and his MSA and Ed.D. from North Carolina State University.
Dr. Price was awarded the Johnston County Administrator of the Year in 2007, the Johnston County Administrator of the Year in 2010, and the Johnston County Principal of the Year in 2013. Upon retiring from the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program in 2023, Dr. Price was named a recipient of The Order of The Longleaf Pine.
Eddie has been described by colleagues as a relationship-builder, an innovator and a change agent, an educational warrior, and a role model for other educators across the state. He and his wife, Kathy, live in Clayton, North Carolina and are tremendously proud of their children: Eli, Bailey, and Charley. Dr. Prince can be reached at [email protected].
Fran Riddick, Ed.D.
Dr. Fran Riddick currently serves as the Executive Director of Leadership Innovation and Assistant Teaching Professor at North Carolina State University (NCSU). She has over 25 years experience in K-12 Leadership and Administration with her most recent position being the Assistant Superintendent of Innovation and Strategic Development for a school district of over 35,000 students in North Carolina. The focus of her career has been supporting and developing school leaders and she has central office experience in both rural and suburban school districts. A first generation college graduate, Dr. Riddick was a Teaching Fellow and graduated from NCSU with a B.S. in Mathematics Education and a minor in Psychology. While working full time, she went on to graduate from NCSU with a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, a Master’s degree in School Administration, and a doctoral degree in Educational Administration and Supervision. Immediately upon receiving her doctorate, Dr. Riddick began serving as an adjunct professor in the Principal Preparation program at NCSU, returning to her passion of teaching and learning. She is currently licensed as a teacher, principal, and superintendent in North Carolina and she frequently collaborates with partner school districts and their administrators. She can be reached at [email protected].
Mark Savage, Ed.D.
Mark Savage, Ed.D., is an educational leader with more than 30 years of experience as a teacher, principal, district leader, instructor, and leadership coach. He most recently worked with North Carolina State University as both an instructor in the Master of School Administration (MSA) program and a leadership coach for graduates of the North Carolina Principal Fellows Program (NELA), supporting aspiring school leaders through graduate instruction, executive coaching, and leadership development.
Previously, Dr. Savage served as Area Superintendent for the Wake County Public School System, where he coached and evaluated more than 20 principals annually while leading district initiatives connected to school improvement, leadership development, and human resources systems. He partnered with NCSU in the Wallace Foundation Grant which resulted in principal pipeline projects with DPI, introduction of simulation learning to WCPSS and the creation of the WCPSS Assistant Principal Leadership Cohort. Prior to district leadership, Dr. Savage was recognized as the Wake County Public School System Principal of the Year for his foundational work at Heritage High School.
Dr. Savage has also facilitated leadership development statewide through the North Carolina Principals & Assistant Principals’ Association (NCPAPA), coaching principals and assistant principals in leadership practice, school culture, and organizational improvement. In 2025, he received the Ralph Kimmel Award in recognition of his profound and lasting contributions to educational leadership across North Carolina.
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Lacey Seaton, Ed.D.
Dr. Lacey Seaton is an Associate Teaching Professor of Educational Leadership in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. She holds an Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Master’s Degree in School Administration, both from North Carolina State University, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Adapted Special Education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Prior to joining the faculty at NC State, Dr. Seaton served as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and the Faculty Director for the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for Virginia Commonwealth University. At VCU Dr. Seaton coordinated multiple educational leadership programs including the Post Master’s Certificate in Educational Leadership, the Master of Education with concentrations in Administration and Supervision, Leadership Studies, Culturally Responsive Leadership, and Higher Education, as well as the Graduate Certificate in Culturally Responsive Leadership.
Dr. Seaton’s recent publications in Review of Educational Research, Education Sciences and the Journal of Research on Leadership Education focus on school leader preparation. While at VCU, Dr. Seaton worked in collaboration with RTR to support grant writing and management of the School Leader Residency program to enhance the quality of preparation and ongoing support new school leaders receive post-graduation. Dr. Seaton’s teaching experience includes Equity and Leadership, Principles of Professional Writing II, School Law, Policy and Ethics, and Administrative Internship I-III. Prior to her roles in higher education, she was a principal resident, assistant principal, and an exceptional children’s teacher in North Carolina public schools. Dr. Lacey Seaton is licensed as a Principal and Superintendent in North Carolina, and she brings extensive experience collaborating with school district partners. She can be reached at [email protected].
Claudia Smith, Ed.D., MA, MSA
Dr. Claudia Smith is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development at North Carolina State University. She also serves as a Cohort Director in the NELA program. Dr. Smith earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with double minors in French and Hispanic Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While teaching, she earned her English as a Second Language (ESL) licensure.
Dr. Smith went on to attend Teachers College at Columbia University, where she earned a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Teaching (Literacy Specialist) and interned at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (TCRWP). Upon returning from graduate school, she led her school’s Response to Intervention (RTI) team as a K-5 bilingual RTI specialist. Later, she worked as a dual-language instructional coach and ran her own consulting company.
Dr. Smith is a two-time alumna of the College of Education, having earned both her Master of School Administration and Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership. While pursuing her doctorate at NC State, she graduated from the nationally recognized North Carolina Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP). Dr. Smith can be reached at [email protected].
Tony Widder, Ed.D.
Dr. Tony Widder serves as Principal of River Park Elementary School in Hillsborough, NC, where he has led school improvement efforts for the past eight years. With more than 20 years of experience in public education, he has served as a teacher, assistant principal, middle school principal, and instructional leader across both domestic and international settings. Under his leadership, River Park Elementary has exceeded state academic growth expectations for six consecutive years and improved its state performance grade from a C to a B. In recognition of his leadership and commitment to student success, he was named Orange County Schools Principal of the Year in 2022.
Prior to his current role, Tony served as Middle School Principal at ICS Singapore, Assistant Principal in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and a middle school math and science teacher in Wake County Public Schools. Throughout his career, he has been passionate about developing educators, strengthening professional learning communities, and building systems that support continuous improvement and high levels of student achievement.
Tony earned a Bachelor of Science in Middle Childhood Education from Kent State University, a Master of School Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership (EdD) from Appalachian State University. His doctoral research explored the personal, relational, and organizational factors that sustain teacher engagement, highlighting the critical role of leadership, culture, and collaboration in fostering thriving school communities.
Tony brings extensive experience in instructional leadership, school improvement, strategic planning, and leadership development. He is committed to supporting emerging school leaders through reflective coaching, strengths-based leadership practices, and the practical application of research to real-world challenges. He looks forward to partnering with our program residents, learning alongside everyone, and contributing to the collective growth and development of school leaders who create environments where both students and educators thrive!
Lesley G. Wirt, Ed.D.
Dr. Wirt serves as the Associate Director of Principal Preparation at NC State University. She earned her undergraduate degrees in psychology and early childhood education from James Madison University in VA. She taught elementary school for two years in VA. She then decided to work in higher education and received both her master and doctoral degrees in Higher Education Administration from NC State University. She has worked at NC State University and Edgecombe Community College recruiting prospective students, advising new and current students, tracking student achievement, planning programs, and enhancing student retention and success. She also assists with grant writing and managing budgets as well as teaches in the principal preparation program and serves on doctoral dissertation committees. She greatly enjoys working with the Master of School Administration (MSA) Leadership Academies’ students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders. She can be reached at [email protected].
Graduate Assistants
Tiffany Flowers, M.Ed.
Tiffany Flowers is a doctoral student in the Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development program at NC State University, specializing in higher education with an emphasis on opportunity, equity, and justice. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary and Special Education from Towson University and began her career as a middle school math teacher in Frederick County Public Schools.
Motivated to expand her impact on student success, Tiffany transitioned into higher education and earned her master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from NC State. Over the past two years, she has served as a graduate assistant in the College of Education, supporting student engagement, outreach, and graduate student success.
Tiffany’s research focuses on belonging and identity development, particularly for marginalized students. She is dedicated to designing resources and support systems that help every student feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive throughout their academic journey.
Tiffany can be reached at [email protected].
Mary Ashley Rose, M.Ed.
Mary Ashley is a Graduate Assistant for the North Carolina State Education Leadership Academy. She graduated from Meredith College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She earned her M.Ed. in school counseling from NC State in 2020. After working as a school counselor, Mary Ashley returned to NC State and is now a doctoral student in the counseling and counselor education program. She can be reached at [email protected].