Pitt County Schools names Lassiter as interim superintendent

Pitt County Schools has named Deputy Superintendent Steve Lassiter as interim superintendent starting in August.

Lassiter, who served for six years as assistant superintendent for educational programs and services, will begin his new role following the July 31 retirement of Superintendent Ethan Lenker.

The Board of Education, in announcing the appointment following a closed session meeting on Monday, said it will decide in November whether or not Lassiter is to be named superintendent. No salary terms have been disclosed.

“The board’s goals in taking this path are to provide a smooth leadership transition, when a well-qualified candidate with deep ties to Pitt County Schools can be promoted internally,” Chairwoman Amy Cole said in a prepared statement, “and to offer a candidate who has spent most of his career in education serving PCS the opportunity to lead our system.”

Lenker, who has served as PCS superintendent since 2013, was pleased with the selection of Lassiter, who has spent 15 of his 18 years in education in the local district.

“I think Dr. Lassiter’s proven himself over the years as a tremendous leader, as a tremendous educator, obviously a fantastic principal and now a fantastic assistant and deputy superintendent,” Lenker said. “He’s going to do a great job leading Pitt County Schools.”

Lassiter said he looks forward to serving alongside fellow educators in the new role.

“I am humbled and honored to lead within the district that has been instrumental in shaping my career as an educator,” he said in a statement. “I am thankful to the Pitt County Board of Education for their confidence in me and unwavering support.

“Together, and with every parent, I believe we can fulfil our mission to foster student growth and success, both socially and academically, in order to develop productive global citizens.”

Since Lenker announced his retirement in March, the school district has not advertised the superintendent’s position or begun conducting an external search for his replacement.

Jack Hoke, executive director of the North Carolina School Superintendents Association, said boards of education in the state, which are responsible for selecting superintendents for their school districts, have the option to either conduct a search to hire a new superintendent or appoint someone to the role.

In a statement Monday, the board confirmed that the state gives local boards latitude on how superintendent vacancies are filled and does not specify a method of election.

“The current board is satisfied with Dr. Lenker’s leadership for Pitt County Schools and believes a successor with ties to our area will continue to provide robust academic opportunities to our students,” the board said in a statement. “Ultimately, Dr. Lassiter is a well-qualified instructional leader who is a clear successor to Dr. Lenker and who is known and respected throughout the state of North Carolina.”

In nearly two decades as an educator, Lassiter has served in Pitt, Martin and Elizabeth City-Pasquotank school districts and has been a teacher, assistant principal, principal and assistant superintendent. As principal of Pactolus School, he was named the North Carolina Wells Fargo Principal of the Year in 2015.

A member of the ECU College of Education, Department of Educational Leadership Advisory Council, Lassiter was named to the North Carolina Cognia Advisory Committee in 2023, and was a recipient of the 2024 First Bank Out of this World Educator Award.

Lassiter currently serves on the North Carolina Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Board, North Carolina Science, Technology Education Center Board of Directors and Education North Carolina Board of Directors, along with being a North Carolina governor’s appointee to the Pitt Community College Board of Trustees.

Lassiter, an Edenton native, received his undergraduate degree in elementary education from East Carolina University in 2004. He earned a master’s degree in school administration from ECU in 2010 and completed a doctorate in educational administration and supervision from North Carolina State University in 2019.