When Carol Worley heard her name called in Greensboro at the 2025 North Carolina School Boards Association annual conference this week, the room erupted before she could even stand. Family members, fellow board members, sorority sisters, mentors, friends from across North Carolina, and even a few who slipped in quietly just to surprise her all rose to their feet. What they were witnessing was history. Worley, now in her 15th year on the Clinton City Schools Board of Education, had just become the first person from Clinton or Sampson County to receive the Raleigh Dingman Award, the highest honor bestowed by the North Carolina School Boards Association.
For Worley, the moment did not just represent achievement. It represented a life’s mission fulfilled.
“It really touches my heart,” she said. “I have been on this board 15 years. I am coming to the end of my fourth term and over time you work with different people and different personalities. You do not always mesh well, but one thing never changes. We all want what is best for children. To stand there and receive something like this, it just accommodates everything I have ever worked for. My heart is full.”
Worley’s leadership has always been grounded in purpose. Long before she became vice chair of the Clinton City Schools Board of Education, she had been pouring into the lives of young people through mentoring, community involvement, and the founding of Safe Space for Youth. The nonprofit was born from tragedy after a spring break pool party shooting killed a 10th-grader and injured five others. Worley refused to let tragedy define the narrative of her community. Instead, she built Safe Space as a bridge between school, family, and community, giving students safe alternatives, financial literacy training, mentoring, and consistent opportunities to connect in positive environments.
“I want these kids to understand they can be more than what is in front of them,” Worley said. “It does not matter where you live or what your circumstances are. I am one of them. I did not come from where I am now. Somebody cared. Somebody saw something in me. That is why I pour into them.”
Since its founding in 2023, Safe Space for Youth has served more than 800 young people and their families across Sampson and Wayne counties. Worley credits her partner, Dr. Raymond Smith, the Safe Space board, and countless community supporters who have rallied behind the mission.
Inside the school system, Worley has been just as relentless. Known as a champion for students who often remain on the margins, she has devoted her board service to expanding pathways for those who may not easily see a clear future for themselves.
Her most transformative work includes her leadership in expanding the Academically and Intellectually Gifted program. Seeing that the district’s previous model narrowly served only a small population, Worley advocated for a more inclusive approach that introduces identification and services beginning in kindergarten and recognizes giftedness beyond reading and math.
Her advocacy helped create a model that better reflects the diverse strengths of Clinton’s student body.
“Carol has been a tireless advocate for our students and our community for the last 15 years,” Clinton City Schools Superintendent Dr. Wesley Johnson said. “Her enthusiasm for students and staff is unmatched. It is a privilege to work alongside her here in Dark Horse country.”
Dr. Linda Brunson echoed similar sentiments stating, “We are really proud of Carol on winning the most prestigious award for board members in this state. She is truly deserving.”
When Worley was first elected in 2010, then board member Edward “E.R.” Mason took her under his wing. He brought her to her first statewide meeting and introduced her to Richard Hooker of Cleveland County, who became her mentor and guide. From that very first conference, Worley made herself a promise. She would serve in the highest position she could. She would earn the Scholar Circle Award for completing 900 or more hours of board training. And she would one day receive the Raleigh Dingman Award.
“I saw the awards they were giving out and the roles people were serving in. I already knew I wanted that,” she said. “I set three goals for myself right then. One was to serve on the board of directors for the North Carolina School Boards Association. One was to reach the Scholar Circle. And the other was to one day receive this Raleigh Dingman Award. I knew it was the highest honor I could receive in this role, and I wanted it.”
She now has achieved all three.
With the Dingman Award comes another role. Worley will now serve as a consultant to the State Board of Education for the next year, helping guide statewide decision-making on behalf of all North Carolina school boards.
Ask Worley about the honor, and she will talk about people that made an impact on her. Her late mentor, E. R. Mason. Her longtime guide Richard Hooker. The students who call her for advice. The board members she has worked with since 2010, and longtime educators like Hazel Colwell. The superintendents and staff who supported her early years. The entire central office staff who helped her learn the ropes. Her Safe Space leadership team. Fellow board member and chair Dr. Linda Brunson, who she describes as “my ride or die,” her constant partner in service and advocacy.
“It is really special when you can work with people you connect with on a personal level and a business level and that you can trust,” Worley said. “Linda and I can have the difficult conversations and still move on together. She cares. She got busy once she heard about the award. She made sure people who played a role in my journey were there. That means everything.”
Her gratitude stretches across 15 years of board service.
“Former board members who are no longer here helped shape me into the board member I am,” she said. “All the relationships since 2010. All the superintendents I have served with. They all matter.”
Her family matters too. After losing her father-in-law in May, having her entire family present in Greensboro brought her to tears.
“For all of them to come, my children, my sorority sisters, my friends from across the state, my mentor from Shelby, even Principal Green who surprised me. It moved me,” she said. “These people showed me how much they care. They showed up.”
Dr. Johnson believes the magnitude of Worley’s impact will continue far beyond this award.
“Her lasting impression on staff and students is tremendous,” he said. “We are proud of her and look forward to continuing to work with her. This is a major accomplishment for her and for Clinton City Schools.”
Worley sees the honor as confirmation of something she has always known.
“I truly believe I am on divine assignment,” she said. “The service I give is the rent I pay for my time here on earth. I know I am supposed to be serving and taking care of others. That is how I got here. Somebody cared for me. And it is my responsibility to reach back and bring the next one forward.”
As she returns home to Clinton with the Raleigh Dingman Award in hand, Worley carries not only the recognition of her peers, but also the gratitude of an entire community that has benefited from her leadership.
A reception will be held prior to Clinton City Schools’ monthly board meeting on Dec. 8. It’s to give an opportunity to show thanks and give appreciation to the community from 4 p.m. til 6 p.m. at Sampson Middle School. “I am excited,” Worley said. “And I am grateful. I am just so grateful.”