We are statewide force for teacher leadership and growth in North Carolina.
Investing in Teachers, Strengthening Communities.
When we commit to teachers’ growth with intention and care, students, schools and communities benefit in measurable and lasting ways. That belief drives everything we do at the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership, and it’s why we treat teacher professional learning as a statewide priority.
Our professional development programs and services invest in teachers as trusted leaders. Our immersive experiences place them inside the industries and regions shaping communities today.
Teachers bring that learning and those relationships back into their classrooms, expanding students’ views of career pathways and what’s possible for their futures. Learn more about our work.
90%
Of educators remain in the classroom five years after completing our fellowship.
100%
Of educators said they developed the skills to work with industry and community leaders.
100%
Of educators said the fellowship made them better teachers.
“This has been the best professional development I have ever experienced. The instruction is relevant and the environment is constantly positive, productive and inspiring.”
Teaching grows stronger through community partnerships
Partner with us
Teachers are essential leaders of North Carolina’s future. When we invest in them as trusted, skilled professionals, they reinvest their learning back into our students, schools and communities, expanding what’s possible for our state.
National Teacher Day is not over yet, and we are continuing to celebrate our new Kenan Fellows and the supporters who will make their work in this fellowship possible.
Erin Harden @pinespringsprep in Wake County is stepping inside one of the world`s leading biologics and vaccine manufacturing facilities this summer. She will be on the manufacturing floor, inside the regulatory environment, up close with the workforce shaping North Carolina`s booming biotech sector.
Whatever she discovers, her students discover next. That`s the Kenan Fellows difference.
Huge thanks to @bionetwork and @fujifilmbiotech for supporting Erin in her journey.
We continue to recognize the supporters making our 2026–27 Kenan Fellowships possible.
On National Teacher Day, we`re spotlighting @ncdeq State Energy Office, whose investment powers nine fellowships this year alone, now in its fourth year of supporting Kenan Fellows.
Please welcome: Bill Vincent, Christine Biela, Julie Overby, Marcia Ferreira, Michele McDuffie, Milton Lima Jr., Patrila Hardy, Sara Monson, and Vicie Byrd, who are spending this summer inside energy sector organizations across North Carolina. They are then bringing that experience straight back to their students.
That`s what it looks like to invest in teachers. Thank you, DEQ State Energy Office.
You`ve met the cohort. Now explore their projects! 🎉
This Teacher Appreciation Week, we`re spotlighting each fellowship, starting with Kristin Owens-White of South Stanly Middle School in @stanlycoschools
This summer, Kristin will go behind the scenes at @unionpowercoop to see firsthand how electricity is distributed across the region. Then bring that experience straight back to her students.
Help us celebrate this collaboration and thank a teacher today!
