Dr. Maria Pitre-Martin joined SERVE as Executive Director in October 2023. She has an extensive history of education leadership both within and outside North Carolina. Most recently, she served as director of board operations and policy for the NC State Board of Education and NC Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI). Prior to that, she served as NCDPI’s deputy state superintendent and chief academic and digital officer, superintendent of Thomasville City Schools, and state director of K-12 curriculum and instruction and regional lead supervisor for NCDPI.

Outside of North Carolina, she has held positions as superintendent of Petersburg City Public Schools in Virginia, chief academic officer for the School District of Philadelphia, and assistant superintendent for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System in Louisiana. She also served as the director of research and staff development for the Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas, and the principal of Oakwood Intermediate School in College Station, Texas. In 2002, she was the Texas Middle School Principal of the Year. She holds a doctorate in educational administration and a masters in organizational communication.