Anthony Martin, Ed.D., is the 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Sandhills Region Teacher of the Year and a finalist for North Carolina Teacher of the Year. He served 13 years as a district administrator before spending five years as a contractor with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, where he partnered with the CTE division to conduct Office for Civil Rights compliance reviews across the state. In 2022, he made the unconventional decision to step into the classroom for the first time—reversing the traditional career path but discovering that teaching students directly has been the most rewarding chapter of his work in education.
Now at East Columbus Junior/Senior High School, Anthony teaches Technology, Engineering, and Design, offering courses in computer engineering, drones, 3D printing, and video production. He is a strong advocate for Career & Technical Education and for making learning relevant to the real world. His work has included building student tech teams, launching esports programs, and creating hands-on maker labs that prepare rural students for future opportunities