NC State Board of Education chairman Cobey aims to increase graduation rates

Chapel Hill resident Bill Cobey has been a UNC athletic director, a U.S. Congressman and a city manager — and now he can add chairman of the North Carolina State Board of Education to that list.

Cobey was elected chairman last week after being appointed to the Board of Education by Gov. Pat McCrory in January.

Cobey is currently the vice chairman of the board for the Jesse Helms Center — an organization that seeks to promote through educational programs ideas advanced by the late U.S. senator.

Cobey is also chairman of the Board of Trustees for Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill.

“I’ve just been involved in education all my life,” Cobey said.

He said he wants to lead the Board of Education in efforts to graduate as many students as possible during his term.

“We want to provide the best possible education for all the children of North Carolina, and there’s always room for improvement,” he said.

Cobey said the state will only face more problems if it does not do a good job of keeping children in schools.

“There’s a definite correlation between lack of education and dropping out of school and being incarcerated,” he said.

“So there is no good outcome if we don’t educate the young people in our state.”

Cobey said he thinks now is a good time to be chairman of the Board of Education because of McCrory’s plans for education reform.

“It’s a very exciting time given the emphasis on technology in teaching and also the governor’s desire to give high school students career options,” he said.

Cobey said he plans to work with the board to implement McCrory’s plans.

And Cobey’s friends and coworkers said his leadership experience and ability to work with others make him a good fit for the position.

“He’s just a very natural leader,” said Chip Denton, headmaster of the Trinity School.

“He sees his role as kind of one to direct the traffic.”

Denton said Cobey is respected by everyone on the Trinity Board of Trustees.

“He knows how to create a space where multiple voices and conflicting voices can be heard,” he said.

John Dodd, president of the Jesse Helms Center, said the variety in Cobey’s past education jobs will be beneficial to his new role.

“He’s kind of seen the education system from all the different sides, and I think that’s going to be very helpful to him.”

Fred Brooks, who works with Cobey on the Trinity School Advisory Council, said Cobey will do a great job because he is able to bring about compromise.

“He’s even-handed. He has vision, but he’s able to work with a large team of people and getting everybody working in the same direction,” he said. “He’s a very good finder of the middle way.”

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