Wake County Schools Superintendent Serves as Fall 23 Commencement Speaker

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Fayetteville State University is honored to announce Wake County Public School System Superintendent Robert P. Taylor, Ed.D., will deliver its fall 2023 commencement address during. The ceremony takes place Friday, Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. in Felton J. Capel Arena.

Taylor, a distinguished dual alumnus and proud Bronco parent, will speak to more than 430 undergraduate and 85 graduate and professional students.

As superintendent, he leads North Carolina’s largest school district and 15th largest in the nation. WCPSS currently serves 198 schools with 20,000 employees and 159,000 students. Taylor also manages the district’s budget of more than $2 billion. Before returning to North Carolina, he was the state superintendent of the Mississippi State Board of Education.

Taylor’s public education experiences spans nearly three decades in Mississippi and North Carolina including serving in schools as a teacher assistant, classroom teacher, assistant principal, and principal.

His district-level experience includes serving as assistant superintendent and long-standing superintendent of Bladen County Schools from 2011 to 2021, providing innovative leadership in digital teaching and learning, district turnaround, and student support for a rural school district.

Before assuming his current role with WCPSS, Taylor’s state-level experience includes deputy state superintendent for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and state superintendent for the Mississippi Department of Education.

Taylor received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. He obtained a master’s degree in school administration and a doctorate in educational leadership from Fayetteville State University.

FSU honored Taylor as the Grand Marshal of the homecoming parade in October.

Taylor is married to retired Col. Vivian L. Taylor. They have three children, Jalyn, a Virginia Commonwealth University graduate, Army soldier and Texas law enforcement officer; Mia, a recent graduate of Western Carolina University; and Miles, a junior at FSU.

Additional FSU commencement and graduate information is available online. Media credentials for the ceremony are available upon request.