Todd Roberts

Dr. Todd Roberts was appointed chancellor of North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) in August 2010. NCSSM was the first school of its kind in the world, a public residential high school where students study a specialized curriculum emphasizing science and mathematics. Annually NCSSM serves some 680 11th and 12th grade students in its residential program and an additional 800 North Carolina students through its distance education programs. NCSSM also provides science and math enrichment opportunities for K-12 students, course content, and professional development for teachers throughout North Carolina. Under Dr. Roberts’ leadership, NCSSM engaged stakeholders on campus and across the state and nation in the collaborative development of two five-year strategic plans for the school. NCSSM expanded its commitment to provide innovative educational opportunities in science, mathematics, engineering, technology, and research that prepare North Carolina students to become leaders and innovators in STEM fields, including through distance education and extended programs. Dr. Roberts is leading NCSSM in planning and constructing a second campus in Morganton, N.C., following voter approval of capital funding through the Connect NC bond referendum in 2016. NCSSM-Morganton will welcome its first class of students in fall of 2022, ultimately serving 300 additional residential students annually. Additionally, Dr. Roberts and the NCSSM Foundation are completing a multi-year $50 million private fundraising campaign to position the entire school to serve North Carolina for its next 40 years, with capital improvements on the school’s historic Durham campus and additional features in Morganton as key priorities in a plan to enable STEM+ teaching and learning, student success and wellness, and transformational leadership. During his tenure, Dr. Roberts has cultivated strong bipartisan public collaboration toward the educational and economic development missions of NCSSM. Prior to being named chancellor at NCSSM, Dr. Roberts served as superintendent of the 16,500-student Ann Arbor Public Schools in Michigan. A Durham, N.C., native, Dr. Roberts began his career in the Durham Public Schools, where he was a high school teacher and elementary school principal. Dr. Roberts holds a BA from Duke University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.