The North Carolina Association of School Administrators (NCASA) today honored Executive Director Katherine W. Joyce as the 2026 Champion for Children Award recipient during the 2026 Conference on Educational Leadership in Wilmington. The award, given annually to someone dedicated to supporting and enhancing public education, recognizes her extraordinary leadership and advocacy for North Carolina’s public schools. Joyce, who is retiring June 30, has spent 23 years advancing the mission of NCASA, serving as Chief Lobbyist since 2003 and Executive Director since 2013 after stints as both Interim and Assistant Executive Director.
“Throughout her career, Katherine Joyce has been a tireless advocate for public schools and their leaders,” said Dr. Stephen Fisher, NCASA’s President and Superintendent of Cleveland County Schools. “With her steady and trusted voice at the helm, NCASA has gained notoriety as an effective, non-partisan organization working with all lawmakers and policymakers to address the needs of public schools and the students they serve. On behalf of the NCASA Board of Directors and our 8,000 members, we are proud to honor her as our 2026 Champion for Children because we know her leadership of NCASA will have a positive impact on North Carolina’s public schools for years to come.”
Joyce’s advocacy work helped ensure that superintendents and principals hold advisory seats on the State Board of Education. She played a key role in negotiating with state lawmakers to resolve a high-profile funding dispute over K-3 class size requirements, securing $191 million in recurring funding for Program Enhancement Teachers in 2017. Joyce also helped establish the Limited License pathway to help address ongoing teacher shortages and has worked on enhancing principal pay, school accountability reform, and many other key K-12 policy measures.
Her leadership has extended beyond the legislative arena. In 2016, Joyce launched the “Every Child’s Chance” campaign honoring the 175th anniversary of NC’s public schools and featuring a historical publication, comprehensive website, and video clips of support from famous North Carolinians. She recently spearheaded the “Champion Our Local Public Schools” initiative, providing NCASA members with a free messaging toolkit to help promote their schools to key audiences. She has enhanced school leader professional development to include free, timely webinars and ethics training for state compliance, and she launched NCASA’s spinoff foundation.
In accepting the award, Joyce said, “Championing strong public schools as NCASA’s Executive Director has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime. I am humbled by, and thankful for, this recognition and am proud of NCASA’s evolution during my tenure. I also appreciate the small but amazing team that has worked alongside me in providing K-12 leaders with the high-quality services they need and deserve in the areas of advocacy, communications, and professional development. I am looking forward to my next chapter and the one for NCASA.”
In addition to her work at NCASA, Joyce serves on advisory boards for the Public School Forum of NC (PSFNC) and the N.C. Teaching Fellows. A Surry County native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and is a 2004 graduate of the Education Policy Fellowship Program through PSFNC and the National Institute for Educational Leadership. She lives in Apex with her husband, and they have one grown son.