ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Jennifer Reed, a longtime Buncombe County Schools educator who has led the district on an interim basis since Sept. 1, has been named its next superintendent.
The Buncombe County Board of Education appointed Reed during a special-called meeting Thursday night, ending a four-month search for a successor to Rob Jackson, who retired this summer.
Reed was sworn in by Judge Robin L. Merrell following the board’s announcement. Her contract runs through June 30, 2030.
A lifelong Buncombe County resident and 1996 Enka High School graduate, Reed has spent her career in education in Western North Carolina, working as a teacher and administrator in Buncombe County Schools.
“This is more than a school system to me — it is home,” Reed said in a statement. “I have spent my entire life learning, growing and leading in this community, and I know firsthand the extraordinary people who make BCS special.”
Reed becomes the district’s 23rd superintendent since Buncombe County Schools was established in 1881 and the second woman to hold the job. Ethel Terrell, who served from 1919 to 1921, was the district’s first female superintendent and the first woman to serve as a superintendent in North Carolina, according to BCS.
Reed began her career as a fourth-grade teacher at Hominy Valley Elementary School and later worked as an instructional coach and assistant principal. She served as principal of Fairview Elementary School from 2012 to 2017 and as director of elementary and intermediate education from 2017 to 2022.
She later became associate superintendent of curriculum and instruction, the position she held before being named interim superintendent following Jackson’s retirement.
Board Chair Rob Elliot said Reed was selected from a pool that included candidates from North Carolina and other states.
“Her outstanding career accomplishments are coupled with a deep understanding of the needs of the students and educators in our county,” Elliot said.
The school board began its superintendent search in early June and surveyed employees, students, parents and community members about what they wanted in the district’s next leader. About 830 BCS employees and 650 community members responded, according to the district.
The board then conducted a regional search and held two rounds of interviews before selecting Reed.
Reed earned her undergraduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in elementary education and principal licensure from Western Carolina University. She earned a doctorate in educational leadership from WCU in May 2023.
She completed the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association’s Aspiring Superintendent Program in 2023 and received the organization’s Dr. Samuel Houston Leadership Award. In 2024, the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce named her Woman Executive of the Year.
Buncombe County Schools is the largest school district in Western North Carolina and the 13th-largest in the state. It serves more than 21,100 students at 45 schools and employs more than 3,500 people.