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Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala
May 1 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
The Public School Forum’s Education Leadership Award was created and named in honor of Dr. Jay Robinson in 2000 to recognize exemplary leaders who have made outstanding contributions to public education. Dr. Jay Robinson was one of our state’s most distinguished education leaders. His career spanned 50 years, beginning as a math teacher and basketball coach in Cabarrus County, becoming a school principal and later superintendent of schools first in Cabarrus and then Charlotte-Mecklenburg school systems. He served as vice president for public affairs and special projects for the University of North Carolina system and chaired the State Board of Education. He was also the first president of the Public School Forum and served as an Emeritus Member of the Board until his death in April 2000.
This year, Forum of North Carolina will honor Mebane Rash and Tom Oxholm at the 2025 Jay Robinson Education Leadership Award Gala on Thursday, May 1 at the Angus Barn Pavilion in Raleigh. This year’s gala marks the beginning of the Public School Forum’s 40th Anniversary Year with this important event celebrating local public schools in our state and recognizing leaders and organizations who have made outstanding contributions to public education.
Both of this year’s honorees were selected for their unwavering commitment to advocating for public school students in North Carolina within their respective fields. Rash is the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of EducationNC (EdNC), which has provided in-depth reporting on education topics relevant to readers in North Carolina since its founding in 2015. Tom Oxholm has long been a proponent of and activator for bridging the business and education communities and has continuously served as a highly active member of education and public school organization and efforts.