The Southwest Education Alliance (Region 6) has selected Union County Public Schools (UCPS) Superintendent Dr. Andrew G. Houlihan as the 2026 Regional Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Houlihan was also named Regional Superintendent of the Year in 2025 and 2022.

Chosen by his peers, which includes superintendents from 11 school districts, Dr. Houlihan will now represent the southwest region in the 2026 state-level competition and compete for the A. Craig Phillips State Superintendent of the Year award.

“All of my colleagues are exceptional leaders and I want to thank them for trusting me to represent our region as superintendent of the year,” Houlihan said. "It is an honor to work with the best teachers, administrators and support staff in the state. I also want to thank our Board of Education for their ongoing support of our students and employees.”

In his ninth year as superintendent of UCPS, Dr. Houlihan has led efforts to increase academic achievement, expand educational opportunities for students, strengthen business and community partnerships and enhance student support services across the district.

“Dr. Houlihan is an outstanding superintendent and is very deserving of this recognition,” said Board of Education Chairman Rev. Jimmy H. Bention, Sr. “His vision for our school district has helped us to become stronger academically. Dr. Houlihan is an innovative and bold leader, and I am happy that he is being commended for his hard work, leadership and commitment to education.”

Reeves McGlohon, executive director of the Southwest Education Alliance said, “When superintendents in the southwest region are faced with difficult situations, they call Drew Houlihan for guidance. This is a well-deserved honor and it’s no surprise that his colleagues selected him as their 2026 Regional Superintendent of the Year.”

Dr. Houlihan has worked in education for more than 26 years and served as  Superintendent of UCPS since August 2016. 

Under his leadership, UCPS has launched three K-12 engagement/instructional strategies—health sciences academy, sustainable energy academy and agtech academy. Dr. Houlihan also established a comprehensive school turnaround initiative, which includes a daily intensive math tutoring strategy, for identified low-performing schools. This model has been recognized nationally as a research-proven approach to school improvement.

In addition, students in all clusters now have access to dual language programming. Dr. Houlihan has also worked to increase the number of school social workers, therapists and school resource officers across the district.

Highlights from Dr. Houlihan’s tenure as UCPS Superintendent:

• In 2024, UCPS ranked number two in the state on overall proficiency at 69.5 percent. The North Carolina overall proficiency rate is 54.2 percent.
• At 93.3%, UCPS has the highest graduation rate among the 12 largest districts in North Carolina.
• Developed and implemented a school-turnaround model for identified schools that resulted in exiting 11 schools from low-performing status under the North Carolina Accountability Model in 2023.
• UCPS received the 2024 Employer of Choice Award from the Union County Chamber.
• UCPS currently ranks third in the state for the number of Career and Technical Education credentials earned.
• Launched Next Stop: TeachUCPS, a teacher pipeline initiative to grow teachers and provide a roadmap that removes financial barriers for pursuing a teaching degree.
• Successfully passed school bond referendums in 2016, 2022 and 2024.
• In partnership with Wingate University, launched and expanded Wayfind, a free college-access and mentoring program that is now available at four middle and four high schools.
• Expanded partnership with Atrium Health to offer virtual mental health services for middle and high school students.
• Served as chair of the Southwest Education Alliance (Region 6) for two years.
• Named 2022 Ed Week Leader to Learn From
• Named a Superintendent to Watch by the National School Public Relations Association.
• Named 2019 Sandy Hook Promise Start with Hello District winner.

To learn more about Union County Public Schools and Dr. Houlihan, follow @AGHoulihan and @UCPSNC on social media.

05/13/2025