William T. Wright Jr. earned his Doctorate in Educational Administration and Supervision in December 2011 from N.C. State University.

Born in Flint, Mich., Wright was raised in the northern part of Nash County in the Swift Creek community, where both of his parents were raised as children.

Wright is a 1983 graduate of Northern Nash High School and at the time of his graduation was the youngest graduate in the school’s history at 16.

After several years of working as a radio broadcaster and a manufacturing manager, Wright started his career as a teacher at Edwards Junior High School in Rocky Mount in 1998. Six years later, he assumed his first principalship at South Edgecombe Middle School in Pinetops where he served for three years. Wright holds the distinction of being the first black principal of South Edgecombe Middle School.

Wright spent just shy of two years in the Wake County Public School System before being selected to assume the principalship of Western Harnett High School in July 2008.

Wright was appointed Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services for Harnett County Schools in July 2011.

Wright has a batchelor’s of business administration degree from N.C. Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, which he received in 1998. He also holds a master’s of school administration degree from N.C. State University, which he received in 2004. Wright also recently received his superintendent’s license from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction in 2008.

Wright completed his doctoral dissertation under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Brinson, Jnr. His dissertation title was “A Study of the African-American Male Superintendency in North Carolina: Barriers Within the Profession.”

Wright is married to Mary Barnes Wright of Nash County and a high school classmate of his (although they didn’t date in high school). They’ve been married for 22 years. He has two sons, William III “Tre’” who is a sophomore at Elizabeth City State University and Mariam “Deonte’” who is a sophomore at Western Harnett High School.

Wright is the minister of music at First Baptist Church in Fuquay-Varina and a musician at Union Hill Baptist Church in Nashville.

Wright is in the process of being reviewed to become a deacon at First Baptist.

This story has been revised to include information not contained in the original contributed report.