February 16, 2024
Alumni Spotlight: Dr. Dudley Flood
Title: Currently retired, was the Associate State Superintendent of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction
Hometown: Winton, North Carolina
Education/degrees: AB degree from North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University), Master of School Administration from East Carolina University, Doctorate of Education from Duke University. He also studied at Hampton University, Elizabeth City State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
What drew you to ECU’s Department of Educational Leadership?
My experience at ECU prepared me to better understand the structure of state government and to work with a great variety of populations.
What skills or knowledge did you learn through the program that you found most useful in your career?
The skill that I learned that proved most useful to my career was the ability to think more of the value of public service and to be less critical of those who make decisions not necessarily to my liking.
Was your educational leadership experience worth the price?
My educational experience was clearly worth the price, both to me and to the state of North Carolina. I feel that because of this education, I have been able to render quite a valuable contribution to all North Carolinians.
What are you most proud of from your program experience?
My proudest experience related to the program was to have been inducted into ECU’s Educators Hall of Fame.
What is your greatest accomplishment?
My greatest accomplishment was to have provided technical assistance to all of the then 152 school systems in North Carolina in their efforts to desegregate the public schools, and to have been invited as a consultant on school desegregation and community involvement in each of the fifty states except South Dakota.
What advice do you have for students as they look for future careers or future programs to apply to?
My advice to students is to find something that you love so well that you would do it free of charge if you were able to do so. Then isolate on it and perfect it to the point that when anyone thinks about that service, your name comes to mind. When your avocation is the same as your vocation, work becomes a pleasure, not a chore.