Elizabeth O’Quinn is Head of Statewide External Affairs for Teach For America North Carolina. She lives in the one-flashing-light town of Cedar Grove in northern Orange County with her husband Jason, three children (JP – 7, 2nd grader and sports enthusiast, Bennett – 4, avid discusser of planes, trains and automobiles and Katy Mae – almost 1 year old, boss of the whole family), a couple of dogs and a barn cat. As a daughter of a United Methodist minister, Elizabeth has lived in many communities in the eastern part of North Carolina and thinks of each one as home. Thanks in part to her retired educator mom, Elizabeth believes every kid in the Old North State deserves access to an excellent education that prepares them for the great big future that awaits us all. And she works each day to make that a little more true with the leaders of Teach For America who are working in classrooms and across sectors. Elizabeth focuses on leading the team that builds support for TFA’s work in North Carolina, bringing together the head and the heart of our vision as we ensure we have the talent and resources needed to do this vital work. She’s been known to see The Avett Brothers in concert a time or two (ok, 19 times) and is a lifelong Devil with a Blue Dress On (#goDuke). In fact, she received her Masters of Theological Studies from Duke in 2008 after her one short stint outside of NC when she attended Wofford College, graduating cum laude in 2006. She is a double Goodmon Fellow (2018 Transforming Leaders and 2021 Regional) and has served as a peer coach through Leadership Triangle. Elizabeth is also an alumna of the Aspen Institute, a NC Public School Forum Education Policy Fellow, and the secretary of the Hillsborough Elementary School PTA. Elizabeth’s spare time is limited with three littles, but when she can scrounge it up you can find her enjoying the Land of the Long Leaf Pine at her family’s home in Blowing Rock, each summer at Sunset Beach or anywhere in between that she can spend the day on the water.